A Love That Wants to Live
by obscurewriter05
Summary: Lucy has feelings for a certain Dragon Slayer who also has feelings for her, but neither of them want to acknowledge them. So what happens when the two start taking on jobs alone together? Rated M for safety and possible Lemons later on.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy watched the man of her dreams from afar. Well, sort of. She sat at the bar, absentmindedly munching on the fries Mira had set in front of her, while watching the man she wanted as he lounged in a different part of the guild.

"Luce," Natsu interrupted her thoughts, sitting beside her.

She smiled at her best friend, still watching the god of a man from the corner of her eye.

"Hey Natsu," She replied. "What's up?"

"Lisanna and I are going on a job together and thought you and Gray might like to come along."

Lucy sighed. Ever since Lisanna and Natsu had started dating they'd been trying to get Lucy and Gray together. She had a sneaking suspicion that this was at Mira's urging, but didn't ask. Not that Lucy didn't appreciate the effort, but she wasn't interested in Gray as a boyfriend. From the time they'd spent together, his interests lay elsewhere as well. Gray was definitely interested in a certain Arc of Time mage while Lucy... well, Lucy was interested in a certain blonde haired lightening Dragon Slayer.

"No thanks Natsu," She sighed, turning back to her fries.

* * *

Laxus sat with his back to the bar, his eyes partially closed as he listened to the conversations flowing around him. Freed and Bickslow were bickering about something right next to him, which was a little distracting but he didn't mind. Anything to keep his mind off of the Celestial Spirit mage who was sitting at the bar. She still managed to creep in his thoughts and he tried to block the idea of them doing anything together when her voice filtered through, sounding a little dejected as Natsu asked her to go on yet another quest with Lisanna and himself.

Laxus shook his head in irritation. Couldn't the boy see Lucy wasn't interested? Everyone else in the guild knew that Gray and her were more like siblings than lovers, but somehow Lisanna and Natsu kept trying to hook them up. He growled a little at the thought, rolling his eyes as Natsu started to beg her to go. He could tell she was getting ready to give in and that annoyed him. She shouldn't have to go if she didn't want to, which she clearly didn't.

He hadn't realized what he was doing until he was standing in front of the two, his eyes narrowed.

"She can't go on a job with you losers," He snapped at Natsu. "She's going on one with me."

He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the mission board, grabbing the first one his hand touch and tearing it off the board.

"We'll take this one," He said, handing it to Mira.

Lucy looked at him, blushing, as Natsu yelled at him.

"Since when is she going on a job with you? You didn't even have one picked out until after you grabbed her."

Laxus flashed him a smirk, "She promised to go on my next job with me. I wanted to see how well her spirits interacted with my lightening."

* * *

Lucy watched with wide eyes until they left the guild.

"You didn't have to do that," She whispered, looking down. "I would have gone with them."

Laxus growled in irritation.

"I know, that's why I rescued you. It's stupid that you always give in to them even though you're not happy."

"Who says I'm not happy?" She snapped.

"Come on Blondie, everyone can see that you're miserable whenever you go on a job with them. Let them work without you for once."

"Fine, have fun on your job."

Laxus raised an eyebrow at her, "It's our job, remember?"

"You really want me to go?" Lucy asked in surprise.

He nodded, "I meant what I said earlier. It could be interesting. Besides, the job specifically asked for a Celestial Mage. There's only two that I can think of and Yukino is already on a job with Rogue."

Lucy tilted her head, "How did you know what it asked for?"

"I read the board every day. I've been watching that job for the last week, so I was surprised that you hadn't picked it up yet."

Lucy blushed as they walked back to her place, "I normally don't read the request board because Natsu or Erza pick the jobs before I can."

"Well, that's going to change when you work with me," Laxus said, folding his arms. "We take turns picking the jobs. Here, you take that and read it over. Meet me at the train station at seven tomorrow morning. We'll leave then."

He turned, walking away before Lucy could say another word.


	2. Motion Sickness

Lucy watched as Laxus walked away, then looked down at the paper in her hands.

"**Wanted: One Celestial Wizard to assist in the Annual Charity Ball - Others Welcome**. Please meet with the organizer before July 10th." Listened below was the address to meet at and the payment amount. Lucy carried it into her apartment, wondering what on earth they would want with a Celestial Wizard at a Charity Ball. She sighed and stretched out on her couch.

"Well, I guess I'll find out tomorrow," She replied to the empty room. "For now, I should probably pack and then rest. Laxus wants to leave early."

* * *

The next morning found Lucy waiting impatiently for the Lightening Dragon Slayer to appear. She tapped one foot in time with the music from the speakers, looking around with a frown stretched across her features. Laxus had said meet him at seven, it was going on 6:55 and still no sign of him. She sighed, annoyed and a little worried.

"Why such a heavy sigh?" Laxus teased from behind her.

Lucy whirled and glared at him, "You're late."

He looked down at his watch, "Actually I'm four minutes _early_ thank you."

"You could have been earlier," She grumbled.

"Sorry, I was getting our tickets. I didn't realize the station would be this busy in the morning."

She gawked at him, "How do you_ not_ know that?"

"Ever or Freed usually gets the tickets so I don't normally have to show until the last minute," He said offhandedly as he helped her up into the carriage.

"Then why did you get them this time?" She asked, sitting in the first empty set of seats they found.

"Because I figured you would forget."

She blushed, annoyed, but didn't contradict him. She _had_ forgotten about the tickets because Erza usually got them, ushering them along like a group of children.

"Why are you coming along on the job?" She asked, changing the subject.

"It does say others welcome," He pointed out. "And I figured that I could be good for something, what with my type of magic and all."

She nodded, turning over this information in her head as the train started. She looked up in surprise as Laxus doubled over, holding the same expression that Natsu always did when they rode trains.

"Oh, I forgot, you probably suffer from Motion Sickness, too," Lucy said, digging in her bag.

"Do. Not," Laxus breathed, his face paling.

She rolled her eyes, handing him a small blue pill, "Shut up and take this. It's supposed to help with Motion Sickness. And don't tell me you don't suffer from it. I have yet to meet a Dragon Slayer who doesn't."

* * *

Laxus studied her, surprised. Not many people could obtain a pill like this and he was grateful that she had, though he didn't dare ask her how. He took it after a moment, surprised as he started to feel better.

"That actually helped," He said in surprise.

Lucy laughed out right, "Of course it did. Wendy made them for Natsu when we go on missions, but since he has a tendency to forget things I hold onto them. Right now you are in more need of them then I am."

He glared at her a little bit, "Don't ever mention this to anyone. The only ones who know about this are my team and my grandfather."

She shook her head, "I'm sure others have figured it out by now, but if you insist."

"I do."

He looked out the window, enjoying the scenery as it flowed past. There was no way he would allow for word of his weakness to get out. He would be a laughing stock if that happened, but looking at the Celestial Mage sitting across from him, he was surprised that she had been more concerned about him than anything else. A soft smile ghosted his lips as he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to overtake him.


	3. On the Train

Lucy watched the scenery go by, her trying to distract her mind from the man sitting across from her. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice when he woke up until he spoke.

"The scenery is that interesting huh?" He asked.

She turned to see him leaning forward, his headphones in his hands.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were awake," She said, a little startled.

He chuckled, "I expect not. Not with the way you were looking out that window."

She smiled, "I'm just used to a lot of noise when I'm in one of these that the silence was a little strange."

He nodded, "The Thunder Legion can be pretty loud at times, too. Especially when we have Bickslow along."

She laughed at that, "Yeah. I suspect having Bickslow around is a lot like having Natsu around."

"Definitely. Thankfully neither Freed or Ever are like Gray or else I would probably go crazy."

She chuckled at that, then fell silent as she realized that she was actually having a conversation with Laxus.

_Oh wow. He's a lot easier to talk to than I thought,_ She thought to herself, enjoying watching as a smile lit up his features. _I wonder how often he actually smiles like that. Normally when I see him, he's just a frowny face._

She laughed at the thought, causing Laxus to look at her in confusion.

"I was just thinking, I don't really see you smile a lot," She replied to his confused question.

He grunted, not knowing what to say to that.

* * *

Laxus had been watching his companion for some time. She seemed to be wrestling with some inner thought that caused her to sigh heavily at regular intervals. It was driving him a little crazy. Whenever Evergreen sighed like that she was annoyed with one of them and he wondered what he could possibly have done to annoy the blonde across from him.

"The scenery's that interesting, huh?" He finally asked, fiddling with headphones to keep from touching her.

She turned, startled and he knew she must have forgotten he was even there. Well, at least she wasn't annoyed with him then. They fell into easy conversation for awhile after that and he was impressed. He had expected that she would be like Gray and Natsu - all hype and no substance, or that she would be like Erza - too much substance and not enough play. Instead she seemed to be an easy mix of the two, though she leaned a little more on the serious side.

He was surprised when she pointed out that he never really seemed to smile. Thinking about it, he really didn't. Not that he didn't want to, when he was out with the Thunder Legion he smiled and laughed a lot. At the guild though, he usually shut down. He'd been doing it for so long that it didn't really register with him that even now he still did it.

He thought about this for a long while. He hadn't really even smiled when Lisanna had come back, he'd been too surprised. Happy to see the little Strauss, yes, but taken by utter surprise nonetheless.

He looked up when Lucy stood, stretching before grinning at him.

"Looks like you got lost in thought this time," She said with a wink that would have made just about any other man blush. "We're here."

He glanced around and realized she was. The train had stopped moving and people were slowly filing off it. He grinned back at her.

"We'll let's go meet this organizer and see if they'll hire our awesome duo," He teased as he led the way out of the carriage onto the blessed pavement once more.


	4. The Job

They sat, staring at the little old lady who sat across from them, their mouths hanging open a little.

"You wanted a Celestial Wizard to entertain?" Laxus asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

The lady nodded, "Yes. You see, we have different wizards entertain each year, but we have yet to have a Celestial Wizard come out. I hear that you have quite a variety of spirits?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes ma'am. Though only a few are good for entertainment purposes I'm afraid."

"Oh, that's fine dear. Whatever you have," The lady said, patting her arm before turning to Laxus. "But I don't understand how you're supposed to help."

Laxus rolled his eyes a little, "I'm her bodyguard. Sort of. I'm here to make sure that nothing goes wrong. Don't worry you probably won't see much of me."

The lady smiled widely, "Well, then, welcome. The Charity is in two days so I guess I'll see you then."

Lucy and Laxus exchanged incredulous looks.

"The job said July 10th," Lucy said hesitantly.

The little woman waved her hand, "That was an old ad. Haven't you seen the new one?"

She shoved it in Lucy's hands, Laxus looking over her shoulder to read it with her. Sure enough, in two days the event began. The lady grinned, shoving them out into the street.

"See you in two days," She called, laughing a little as she shut the door on them.

* * *

Lucy turned, looking to Laxus with wide eyes.

"What are we going to do? We don't have an act prepared or anything. How are we supposed to be ready in two days?" She cried, frustrated. "If Natsu were here we could do a fire-eating thing or Gray could do an ice-sculpting thing, but we have nothing."

"Can't any of your spirits preform?" Laxus asked, annoyed that she had instantly thought of her friends and what they could do.

"Oh yea," She grinned, digging through her keys, muttering about the different spirits that resided on the other side of each one.

She finally laid out the ones she had chosen when they reached their hotel room, tapping them in turn as she discussed each of them.

"Lyra can play the harp - we could have a music thing. Or Sagittarius could do an archery thing. Gemini can copy people's appearances, we could do something with that or Virgo knows a weird dance that she could teach the others and we could have a dance thing," She sighed. "I'm afraid that's all I really have for spirits."

He studied them in surprise, somehow had expected more of them, but he didn't say that out loud, seeing her slumped shoulders. Instead he grinned at her.

"We'll think of something," He promised.

Lucy nodded, slumping still as she thought about it. What were they going to do? Two days to come up with an act and she didn't even know what spirits could perform. She knew Virgo could do a weird cultural dance and Plue had his little jig that he did once in a while, but she had no idea if the other spirits could dance. While Lyra was wonderful for calming, she didn't really work well in large crowds. She sighed in frustration, who ever thought of having wizards perform like a circus act anyway?

* * *

Laxus watched her dejected form, wanting more than anything to take her into his arms and comfort her. What were those idiots thinking? Requesting a Spirit Mage simply because they hadn't yet seen what one can do? Didn't they realize that spirits weren't really suited for entertainment? He sighed, as he settled back on the chair, pondering the dilemma.

The two sat like that for awhile, Lucy tapping her keys alternately, trying to come up with a plan, while Laxus sat with his arms folded, eyes closed, looking to the world like he was asleep. Finally he opened one lazy eye, grinning at the blonde across from him.

"This is an outdoors event she has set up correct?" He asked, lazily.

Lucy nodded, still concentrating on her keys.

"And you have spirits that can fight?"

She looked up, "All of my zodiac spirits can fight. Some are weaker than others, but they all can fight for sure."

He grinned at her, "Why don't we do that?"

She looked at him in horror, "I'm not going to have my spirits fight one another. Even in a mock battle, that's just wrong."

He shook his head impatiently, "I'm not asking you to do that, Blondie. Have them fight me. We can demonstrate the diversity of the spirits, they can get a good fight in, and I won't have to hide in the background. Think about it - Spirits fighting the Lightening God, Laxus Dreyer. The patrons will eat it up."

She looked at him warily, "And you won't hurt my spirits?"

"Tch. Of course I'm going to hurt them," He said, annoyed. Then seeing her panicked look, raised his hands in a placating manner. "Not bad. Just sort of like when Natsu and Gray fight. Gotta rough them up a little bit so that people buy into the illusion. I'll let you pick which spirit you want to beat me and I'll go down after fighting them. It'll give them a show and boost the idea that Celestial Spirit mages are a lot stronger than they look."

Lucy grinned at that, sitting back once he explained the idea to her.

"You know, I think that just might work," She agreed.


	5. The Event

**AN: ****_Warning:_**** Scene contains fighting. Nothing graphic, I tend to be squeamish about graphic details but just a heads up for those who don't want to read about fightings. For those that did, sorry I glossed over it a bit. I couldn't bring myself to write the nitty-gritty details.**

Laxus stood on one side of the arena they had roped off for this 'event', his arms folded across his chest, eyes closed while his headphones pumped AC/DC into his ears. The two mages had discussed this fight at great length, though both of them knew that you couldn't control a fight. On the other side, Lucy was fidgeting with her keys. The had discussed her using the Urano Metria to finish the fight but agreed that it would be a last resort if the fight got too out of hand, given the damage it could inflict on an opponent.

Surprisingly Laxus had been for it, pointing out that it was a brilliant spell that she could easily cast if Gemini took her form and helped her with it. Lucy had strongly disagreed, refusing to even consider it until he pointed out that in the heat of battle, sometimes things got out of hand and she might need to use it in order to win. She had reluctantly agreed after that, setting her Gemini key in a different part of her pouch so that the twins could be on reserve in case they were needed.

Now the two mages stood, facing each other as the organizer announced their names and the type of entertainment they had come up with. Most of the people ignored it, continuing on with their discussions and auctions. Lucy had no idea why they would call it a ball when no dancing was involved, but didn't have the time or inclination to question it as Laxus's eyes flared open.

That was all the signal that Lucy needed to show that the battle had began. She pulled out her keys, quickly summoning Aries and Virgo in a duo attack that Laxus easily blocked and countered. If this had been a real fight she would have groan in frustration at how easily the two had been defeated. She was thankful she'd had the foresight to call all of her spirits and inform them of what was going on. The only spirit who had opted to sit out was Aquarius, which Lucy had excepted, giving that there was no water in the area she could really summon the mermaid from.

As the fight progressed, people began to actually gather around and watch, though neither mage noticed, too intent on the battle before them.

* * *

Laxus kept an eye on Lucy as he battled each of her spirits, making sure she wasn't wearing out too quickly. Around the fifth spirit she summoned he had to stop paying attention to her and focus on the spirits, he just hoped that she would know when to finish it because the spirits were too strong for him to pay only half his attention to. He grinned when she finally summoned Loke. This was it, the big challenge he was looking forward to.

* * *

Lucy watched the fight, horror-struck. She knew that Laxus and Loke had been itching to fight each other, now that Loke was back to normal, but she had no idea how bad until the faced each other. She swore it was like an explosion each time their attacks connected. Loke's hit might connect, but in the meantime Laxus was sweeping his feet out from under him.

While she watched, Lucy realized something. Both guys were usually little magic, it was a brawl that would put Natsu and Gray to shame. It almost seemed like the two were fighting over something they considered too important for magic.

Laxus grinned, wiping his lip where Loke's fist had split it open, "You do realize that this is for show right?'

Loke's eyes narrowed as he pushed his glasses up, "Maybe that's what it started out as, but you and I know better. No way I'm giving up until you give up on your hair-brained scheme."

"Which one?" Laxus grunted as he swung at Loke, his fist connecting with Loke's nose.

"The one to take Lucy from me," Loke answered, counter attacking.

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Lucy isn't yours. She's not anyone's... yet."

Loke snarled and actually used his Regulus Impact on Laxus, punching him in the stomach. Laxus growled, his lightening growing as he doubled over in pain. He eyed Loke as the spirit approached him before finally pulling on his magic, calling on his dragon slayer magic as he used the Lightening Dragon's Breakdown Fist, sending Loke hurling backwards.

* * *

Lucy watched the fight, annoyed with the both of them. This was supposed to be a show. Not a real fight. She watched as Loke crumpled to the ground, Laxus standing over him until Lucy sent him home. Now she was angry, Laxus had promised her that he would allow Loke the win, but here he was, claiming the victory. She grinned as she pulled out her Gemini key.

"Guess that makes it my turn," She stated as the twins came forth.

"Are you sure, Lucy?" They asked, looking her over.

She nodded, grinning at them, "We can't let people think that we're weaker than him can we?"

The shook their heads, combining to create yet another Lucy and she was relieved to see that they had managed to copy her into something more than a towel this time. She joined hands with her doppelganger, closed her eyes, and began to chant.

* * *

From across the field Laxus came back to himself, feeling guilt at defeating Loke after promising Lucy he wouldn't. The sheepish look he sent Lucy turned to one of fear as he realized what she was doing.

"Crap," He muttered, watching the stars align around her.

That was all he had time for before the spell hit him.

* * *

Lucy sank to her knees, feeling like Jell-O after that. She groaned as she realized she might have overdone it on the power, seeing Laxus passed out a few feet away. She was surprised when cheers erupted around her. She had forgotten about the people around her and she had just enough time to grin over at them before passing out herself.


	6. Misunderstanding

Laxus woke only moments before Lucy, finding himself bandaged and lying on a couch across from the blonde, who wasn't bandaged but looked exhausted. He'd forgotten how much summoning different spirits could drain her. He grimaced as he remembered the battle, he'd promised Lucy to hold back and allow Loke the victory, but the stupid Lion had riled him up.

He sighed, watching the blonde until she opened her eyes.

"Stupid, what were you thinking?" She yelled as soon she spotted him.

"I'm sorry Lucy."

"Sorry, oh you're going to be sorry, Sparky," She scolded. "What was that? You promised Loke the win. Not only that but I had to use that stupid spell and then collapse in front of our clients! It's bad enough that you did, you were expected to, but then I did. What on earthland are they going to think of Fairy Tail now? Huh? Bet you didn't even think of that, did you?"

Laxus blinked, _Sparky?_

"No I didn't. Loke was taunting me and I'm afraid I let my anger get the best of me. I'm sorry, Lucy."

She pounted for a minute, then rolled her eyes.

"You can call me Luce you know," She finally said in way of an acceptance.

He blinked again, "Isn't that what Natsu calls you?"

"And Gray, Erza when she's feeling especially friendly. I don't mind."

He grinned, "Luce it is then."

* * *

Lucy grinned back, her heart racing in her chest as she studied him. She was still mad that he had gotten carried away and made her use Urano Metria, but looking at him all bandaged she felt a little guilty. Perhaps she could have gone a little easier on him after all.

"Well, if I can call you Luce I suppose you can call me something," Laxus said, leaning back.

She pondered it for a moment, _what would you call Laxus as a nickname?_

"Lax," She said after a while, grinning at him.

He raised an eyebrow, "Lax?"

"Or Sparky, you pick," She shrugged, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face.

"I think I'll stick with Lax," He replied, raising an eyebrow.

_What is it with her and Sparky?_ He wondered just as the door swung open.

"Oh good, you two are awake," The event hostess walked in her heels clicking on the marble floor as she walked toward them, eyeing Laxus appreciatively.

"I'm Mia. I hope Ruth told you about me," She said, shaking hands with the two mages.

"Afraid not," Laxus replied, folding his arms in front of him.

"Well, this is my place. The Charity Ball takes place at a different venue each year, but this year we lost our venue so I said we could use my home. Ruth set everything and I just pay everyone and supply the food," She answered, flipping a strand of purple hair over her shoulder as she shot Laxus a flirtatious grin.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the woman's behavior.

_Oh please,_ she thought to herself.

"Well, anyways, I have to say that was quite an impressive fight you two put on out there. Definitely worth more than the original payment amount. You have an impressive amount of magic, Laxus Dreyar," Mia grinned, then turned to Lucy, acknowledging her for the first time since entering the room. "You, Lucy Heartfilia, are the real treasure though. A mage like you, able to summon that many spirits, and then preform that spell. You must be one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail."

Lucy blushed, "Actually, Not really. Laxus is a lot stronger than I am, and there's a lot of other mages who are much stronger than I am."

Mia h'mphed, not totally believing the girl, but she didn't argue.

"If that's the case, I hope I will see more Fairy Tail wizards at these events. Normally the patrons are bored and hardly pay any attention to the entertainment, but today you provided something amazing. I hope to see both of you again," Mia winked at Laxus as she dropped the reward money in his hand. "Oh, there's a little extra. I took the initiative of collecting a cut from the bets that were placed."

* * *

Lucy and Laxus watched her leave; Laxus with a bewildered expression, Lucy with one of annoyance.

"They took bets on us?" Lucy exclaimed.

Laxus grinned, "Of course they did. Two mages fighting like we did? Only fools would ban betting on something like that and there's no way some of those _gentlemen_ out there weren't going to bet. Did you see them eyeing you? I still can't decide if they wanted you to lose or win. One thing for sure - they definitely wanted you to lose a little more clothing."

"Well, Mia probably wouldn't have minded seeing you in the nude either," Lucy huffed, remembering the way their hostess had eyed Laxus, like she was ready to jump on him the moment she laid eyes on him.

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Come on, Luce. We have a train to catch. I'm actually surprised that Team Natsu hasn't shown up and demanded your return yet."

Lucy laughed, "That could still happen."

* * *

Laxus led his partner out of the house, wrapping his coat around her when he realized that the temperature had fallen considerably and there were still some men gathered around the house, probably just waiting to see Lucy in her skimpy little outfit in the could. She looked up in surprise before snuggling into his coat.

"Thanks," She whispered, pulling it around herself.

He looked down at her, surprised to feel his heart racing at the sight of her in his jacket. Then he almost laughed out loud when he saw how big it was on her. The coat was slightly large on him, flowing down to his knee. On her it just looked ridiculous. She almost looked like a kid playing dress up. He shook his head and just pulled her closer to him.

* * *

Lucy was surprised when she felt Laxus's arm on her shoulder, but she didn't protest once she saw the creeps that were still hanging around. She actually moved closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and smiling up at his surprised expression.

_Don't blow this._ She thought._ Let those creeps think you're my boyfriend and once we're out of here you can let go. Just don't leave me to the sharks._

For a moment she wondered if he had read her mind as his arm tightened around her, but then she realized he probably had the same idea she did. They walked all the way back to their room like that, neither of them saying a word, just walking in a comfortable silence like two lovers who were close enough that they didn't have to speak to understand each other.

* * *

Laxus let go of her the moment they entered the room, striding quickly over to his side to gather up what little gear he had. He tried not to think about how she had fit perfectly under his arm as he packed. He couldn't afford to think about that right now, not when she was only a few feet away gathering up her own gear. Not when they were alone in this room and his coat was still wrapped around her like a beacon that screamed at him.

"You ready?" He asked as he stuffed the last of his stuff in his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

She nodded and opened the door, hurrying out of it, but for a brief moment he caught sight of her face and - were those tears?

* * *

Lucy's heart dropped the moment he let go of her, dropping his arm like it was on fire. She watched him hurry over to his side of the room, refusing to look at her.

_Was it really that bad just to hold me? He must really dislike me._

She pushed that thought away quickly. No time to think about that, it would only upset her and they had a train to catch. Still the thought nagged at her as she packed. In fact, she was so bothered by it that when he spoke it startled her, bringing the thought to the forefront of her mind. She hurried out the door, brushing her tears away before he could catch up with her.

When he did catch up, she smiled up at him.

"Well, time to head back," She said, turning to find a sword pointed at them.

"Laxus," Erza's eyes glinted dangerously as she stared the man down.

* * *

**AN: We all know how Erza is about Lucy's purity! I tried to make this chapter a little longer. Unfortunately I seem to have a penchant for shorter chapters.**


	7. Team Natsu Find Lucy

Laxus glared at Erza, his arms folding in their habitual stance against his chest.

"Erza," He nodded, pretending to a calm that he didn't feel.

She glared back at him, not lowering her sword for a moment.

"What have you done with our Lucy?" She demanded, not sparing the girl a glance.

He shrugged, narrowing his eyes, "Why don't you ask her yourself? She is right there after all - and perfectly fine I might add."

He considered this for a moment before adding, "Well, maybe she's a touch tired, but otherwise unharmed."

Erza's alarm increased as she looked over at the blonde.

"Lucy, are you alright? Why are you tired? What did this heathen do to you?" She demanded.

Lucy laughed nervously, waving her arms in front of her, "No, nothing like what you're thinking, Erza. Laxus and I just had a job together. We had to provide entertainment for a Charity Ball and I used a bit too much magic is all. Lax has been a perfect gentlemen, I promise."

Erza eyed Lucy, taking in the coat that was still wrapped around her, the use of the name Lax, and the fact that the two of them had just existed the same room.

"Lucy, tell me the truth," Erza demanded.

Laxus growled, annoyed with the red-head, "She did tell you the truth. I know what you're thinking Titania and you might as well forget it. Nothing has or ever will happen between Luce and myself."

* * *

Lucy's heart sank a little when he said that.

_Nothing? Ever? Wow. Way to kill a girls dream._

Of course, she would never say this out loud. Settling, instead, for wrapping his coat closer to him. She knew Erza better than Laxus though, and knew she would be getting the third degree later when the team was sure to meet up at her apartment. She almost groaned out lout at the thought. Not that she didn't love her guild mates, but sometimes a girl really just wanted some alone time. Especially after spending almost a week in the company of the man whom she had a major crush on.

Before she could contemplate it further however, another voice broke into her thoughts.

"LUCY!"

She had just enough time to turn before a flying blue ball of fur tackled into her, hugging her. She smiled down at the exceed, and hugged him back.

"Hello Happy," She laughed.

"You're not leaving Team Natsu are you?" Happy demanded, glaring at Laxus over her shoulder.

"Of course not," The Celestial Spirit Mage reassured him. "Just sometimes it's nice to go on missions with other people. Like when Natsu and Lisanna go on missions together. Natsu is, obviously, still a part of Team Natsu, but sometimes he just likes to go with someone else."

The exceed sniffled a little, but smiled all the same. Lucy shook her head at him, smiling gently.

_At least I'll always have my friends,_ She thought, comforting herself._ It's good to be reminded that they're always going to be here for me. And they'll come chasing after me the moment they think I'm leaving the team._

* * *

Laxus looked at the exceed, startled to find Happy glaring at him. He was about to suggest that they get a move on when he spotted Gray and Natsu making their way toward what was quickly becoming a crowd. He sighed, knowing that they weren't going to go anywhere until those two had their say as well. He should have suspected that at least Natsu was around, that cat and him were practically attached at the hip.

"Luce!"

"Lucy!"

The two boys hugged her between them and Laxus was surprised to see her face turning red as they did it.

"We were worried about you," Gray said, letting go first.

"Why? I was out on a mission with Laxus."

"We know. And then you never came back," Gray explained.

Lucy laughed, "We were headed back right now."

Natsu didn't say anything just stared at the girl for a moment before turning to Laxus.

"You idiot, you can't just go kidnapping my team members whenever you feel like it. What if we had really needed Lucy? You could have really screwed things up. Lucy's on_ our_ team, not yours. Next time remember that before you just take her away," Natsu yelled at him.

Laxus blinked in surprise before laughing, causing the newcomers to stop and stare at him. Lucy joined in after a few moments and he was surprised at the swell of affection he had for her as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"What's so funny?" Gray demanded after a moment.

"You guys. Lax didn't kidnap me. He simply asked me to go on a mission with him. Actually, I should be thanking him, I never noticed that it was directly for Celestial Wizards until he pointed it out."

* * *

Lucy turned, grinning at Laxus.

"I look forward to working with you again, Lax."

He blinked again before replying, "And I with you, Luce."

Before either of them could say anything else her team mates dragged her off. Lucy sighed as they talked, turning to look one last time at Laxus. She was surprised to see him still standing there, watching her go with a blank look. She gave him an apologetic smile and wave. Laxus grinned back when he saw it and gave her a half wave before turning and walking away.

* * *

Laxus was watching her go. His coat was still wrapped around her, which for some reason delighted him. Despite how big it was on her, it seemed to fit her in a way that he hadn't expected. When she caught him staring and waved it took everything he had to wave and walk away instead of running over to her and taking her away from her team once again.

* * *

Team Natsu kept Lucy with them, talking to her constantly, but none of them had missed the wave or the familiarity with which the two had referred to each other. Erza and Gray exchanged raised eyebrows over her head, both of them noting the coat which was still around her, and wonder what exactly had happened on this job.


	8. A Coat Returned, Another Job

**AN: Thank you for the reviews! I know there's a lot of stories out there where Lisanna is the "bad" guy and Lucy gets kicked off Team Natsu, but I just can't write that kind of story. For one, I don't see anyone in Team Natsu kicking Lucy off, not when they go through so much to save her all the time. For two, I can't see Lisanna and Lucy hating each other - they're both way too nice for that. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy sighed as she sat, once again, at the bar in Fairy Tail. Since returning from their job Laxus hadn't spoken to her once, barely even seemed to register her presence.

_Looks like it's back to being invisible for me._ She told herself, holding tightly to the bag she had brought in today.

She'd realized just yesterday she still had his coat, and, after washing it, had determined it was best to give it back. She honestly was surprised that he hadn't said anything to her about it yet since he seemed to always be wearing it. Part of her was hoping that he would be at the guild some time today so she could just hurry up and return it and get it done with. A smaller part was secretly hoping that he was on a mission now and wouldn't be back for a while so she could hold onto the one reminder she had of how sweet he really could be.

"Something on your mind, Lucy?" Mira asked, winking at her.

"Not really," Lucy answered, knowing that if she confided in Mira about her feelings then soon the whole guild would know.

Only Levy knew how she felt about Laxus, though Lucy suspected that Gray might have an idea as well, though the ice make mage had kept silent about it.

"Oh hey, Laxus," Mira said, pulling Lucy from her thoughts.

She looked up to notice the lightening wizard sitting next to her, studiously ignoring her presence. She sighed a little staring at the counter as Mira walked away.

_Okay Lucy. This is it. Just give him the bag, thank him, and then go find someone else to talk to. You can do this_. She added the last part in her thoughts as a jolt of anxiety shot through her.

"Hey, Lax," She said quietly.

He turned and looked at her in bewilderment.

"Did you just call me Lax?" He whispered.

She blushed a little, "Yea, I guess so."

He grinned quickly, before pulling his face back into the sneer he normally wore.

"What's up, Luce?"

She trembled as she held out the bag.

"It's your coat, I washed it and brought it back to you," She answered timidly.

* * *

_She washed my coat?_

Laxus studied the girl trembling before him and sighed.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know?" He teased.

"I know, I'm not."

He rolled his eyes, deciding that he wasn't going to have this conversation right now he took the bag from her.

"Thanks, I'd forgotten about lending it to you until the other day when I was trying to find it. That's actually the only reason I came over here was to ask if you could bring it back," He said, handing the bag back to her once he'd thrown his coat over his shoulders.

_It smells like her_, He almost grinned at the realization.

There was no way he was going to admit that he'd been hoping she wouldn't have the coat on her and they would have to walk back to her place together. He found that since their job he'd been hoping that they would have to work together again. He'd enjoyed working with her, as much, if not more, as he enjoyed working with his Thunder Legion.

* * *

Disappointment and irritation washed over Lucy.

_'The only reason I came over here.'_ The words echoed around in her head for a while before she noticed Natsu striding toward her.

"Hey Natsu, what's up?" She asked, turning her back to the Lightening Dragon Slayer.

"Do you wanna go on a job, Luce?" He asked. "Lisanna and I picked one out and Gray's coming along too so I thought you could come with us and it would be fun."

Lucy looked back at Laxus who was listening to the conversation, though he kept his head looking toward his drink.

"Actually Natsu, that sounds lovely, but I already agreed to go on a job with Laxus," Lucy lied, praying that he would back her up.

Natsu looked disappointed, "Which job?"

"I was just going to pick one out actually," Lucy said gently. "Do you have any ideas?"

Natsu brightened a little, "Heck yes. There's a monster slaying one that I bet you guys would love and -"

"Maybe not monster slaying yet, after all Lax and I have only been on one job together," Lucy teased.

* * *

Laxus watched the pair walked toward the board with a groan.

_What did I get myself into?_ He thought. _Save a girl once and suddenly you're the scapegoat whenever she needs saving._

"Laxus," Elfman grinned as he sat down next to him. "Ever and I found a job we thought you and Mira could tag along for."

_Not this again._

Evergreen and Elfman had finally announced their relationship after everyone else caught them in different acts of passion throughout Magnolia, but ever since then they had been trying to get Mira and Laxus together. Somehow they'd come up with the idea the two should be a couple.

He smiled a little when he realized that in reality Lucy and him were in the same boat. Both of them had friends who were blissfully happy and blissfully unaware that their friend had absolutely zero romantic interest in the person they were trying to set said friend up with.

"Sorry, Elfman, I can't. Lucy needs my help on a job and I already agreed to go with her," Laxus answered, silently grateful to the girl who he had only moments ago been slightly annoyed with.

"Isn't this the second job you've taken on with Lucy, Laxus?" Mira teased from behind him.

"So?"

"So I think you_ like_ her," Mira grinned, her mind already whirling with the possibilities of the two becoming a couple.

"Shut up Mira," Laxus glared, before walking toward Lucy.

"You find a job yet?" He asked.

She grinned, "You don't have to come if you don't want to. Sorry I dragged you into that ... again."

He shrugged, "I'm game. If I don't go with you I'll have to tag along with Elfman and Evergreen."

They both made faces at that and then laughed before turning in the paperwork to Mira. Neither of them noticed the silence that fell as they left the hall together and neither of them heard the outburst of whispering after the doors closed behind them.

* * *

"Did Laxus_ laugh_?" Cana demanded.

"Yeah, weird," Lisanna answered from her spot next to Natsu.

Mira just grinned, "Oh they are going to have the cutest babies."

"Chill Mira, they're not even dating yet," Elfman told his sister.

Everyone backed up at step when they saw that glint in Mira's eye.

"Oh they will be," She replied. "They will be."


	9. An Awkward Agreement

Laxus followed Lucy out of the guild hall, studying the girl as he did._ What was with her?_ Why did he always feel more at ease around her than he did anyone else in Fairy Tail, with the exception of Thunder Legion.

"So what did you pick out for us to do?"

She grinned up at him, handing him the paper.

He scanned it and sighed as he handed back at her.

"Clearing bandits out. Should be easy enough," He stated.

"I know right? If you still want to come your more than welcome, but I can probably do this one on my own," Lucy said confidently.

He shook his head, "No way I'm letting you go by yourself. Your luck you'll get kidnapped or worse and I'll never hear the end of it from anyone."

_Besides the fact that I really want to go along_ He added silently before reminding himself that there was no way he was going to start a relationship with anyone, especially the blonde before him.

* * *

Lucy laughed, "True, my team does seem to be overly protective of me, don't they?"

"You think?" Laxus asked drily, walking her up to her apartment.

She paused at the door, looking at him nervously, "Meet at the train station tomorrow?"

He shook his head, "I'm staying here tonight."

He walked into her house without waiting for a reply as she stared after him, her mouth hanging partially open.

"You're _what?_" She demanded after a moment, following him in and shutting the door behind her.

He nodded, "It's easier than walking all the way back to my place and this way we won't have to wait for each other, we can just get up and go."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Fine, but you're sleeping on the couch."

He snorted, "Where else would I sleep?"

She blushed and looked away, not wanting to answer that question. She had been so used to the team crashing at her place, Natsu somehow always managing to worm into her bed, that she hadn't been thinking when she said that, it had just been instinct. Tears pricked in her eyes at the thought, since Lisanna had come back Team Natsu didn't stay at her place anymore and they didn't go on as many missions together.

Lucy really couldn't blame them, but she missed them all the same. Not that she would ever admit it, but sometimes it was nice to come home and find them all waiting for her making a mess out of her place as they rearranged furniture so everyone would have a place to sleep. Sure, they drove her nuts when they did it, but at the same time it had been nice to know that they had cared enough to want to stay with her.

She shook her head, clearing the thoughts and melancholy away.

* * *

Laxus watched his partner in concern. He hadn't thought his words would affect her so much, saying them offhandedly as looked around her apartment in surprise. It was small, but it looked comfortable. Like a home rather than somewhere you would just stay. He pushed the thoughts to the side, filing them away to be contemplated later. Right now he had a girl on his hands who looked like she was going to start crying, which alarmed him.

"Lucy. Oi, Luce," He grabbed her, turning her so that she would face him.

Seeing her tears that she wasn't quite quick enough at wiping away he was a little dismayed to find that he was angry. Angry at whatever had made her upset. Even more, he was surprised that his first reaction was that he wanted to punch whoever it was, even if it was himself.

_Is this how her team mates feel when she's upset? No wonder why they're all loyal to her. She's just one of those people you want to protect and see happy._

"What's wrong?" He demanded, holding her at arm's length.

She looked down, "Nothing. It's stupid."

He growled, "I don't care. Tell me."

She sighed and motioned for them to sit on the couch.

"Do you want some tea?" She asked as they sat.

He glared at her.

"Right, right, one silly story coming right up."

* * *

Laxus listened intently as Lucy told her story, explaining how the team always used to stay over at her place until Natsu and Lisanna started dating. Lisanna had insisted that he stop staying over, which was understandable, no girl wants her boyfriend to stay over at another girl's house on a regular basis. Once Natsu stopped coming over though it seemed like the whole thing fell apart. Gray was uncomfortable staying with just girls and once he left Erza did to, saying that she no longer would have to worry about protecting Lucy's honor.

"It's stupid because they drove me insane when they were here, but now that they're gone I miss them," She finished.

Laxus nodded, "It's like when the Thunder Legion stays at my place. Freed follows me everywhere, Ever always complains about - well, everything, and Bickslow usually eats everything that I have left in the fridge while tormenting my dog with his 'babies'. They drive me insane, but I get lonely when they leave."

The two looked at each other in surprise. Lucy because she would have never guessed that Laxus would allow his group to stay over, they seemed more like his followers than his friends. Nor would she have guessed that he would own an animal, he didn't seem like an animal lover. Laxus because he never thought he would tell anyone so much about himself.

"You, you have a dog?" Lucy finally asked after a tense moment as Laxus had expected her to tease him after he admitted he was lonely without his team.

He nodded, "Thor. He's a mutt, but cute. Mira usually takes care of him while I'm gone, unless Gramps can."

"You have a dog that you think is cute?" Lucy was bewildered, this was a side of Laxus she had never seen.

He blushed and looked away, "Shut up. He's a great dog."

She laughed softly, "I just never realized that Laxus Dreyer was secretly a big softie."

"Am not," He muttered.

She smiled knowingly but didn't argue.

He shifted after a moment, "So is it okay if I stay? If you don't want me to I'll go, but I just -"

He stopped when she flung her arms around him, blinking for a moment before hesitantly wrapping his arms around her.

"Of course you can stay. You can stay whenever you need to, Lax," She whispered.

His arms tightened around her a feeling of happy calm settled over him.

* * *

Lucy was pleasantly surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her, holding her tightly. She grinned into his shoulder as they sat like that for a few more moments before she stood.

"Well, we should probably get to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow after all," She said, winking at the dragon slayer.

Laxus nodded, "Right."

She blushed after a moment and said, "I didn't mean what I said earlier. If you change your mind about the couch you're welcome to crawl into my bed. I mean, just to sleep."

Laxus looked at her, dazed, "Isn't this moving a little fast?" He teased.

If it was possible she blushed even brighter and stared at the floor, "It's just... Natsu used to always climb in bed with me. Something about me smelling good and comforting, I don't know. I just know that now it seems like my bed is too big."

* * *

Laxus sighed,_ damn that girl knows how to get to me._

Grabbing her hand he led the way toward her bed.

"If you tell anyone that I slept in the same bed as you and all we did was sleep I will electrocute you," He warned as she tucked herself into his arms.

Lucy hummed in response, a content grin drifting across her face as she fell asleep.

Laxus smiled down at the sleeping girl.

_Damn she's beautiful_ was his last coherent thought before he too drifted off into the land of dreams.


	10. Wake Up!

The pair awoke to a loud crash in the early morning, quickly separating when they realized that sometime during the night Laxus had wrapped both arms around her and she had turned so her face was only inches away from his.

"What on earth!?"

They turned to see Cana standing there, towering over them.

"Cana, what are you doing here?" Lucy stuttered out.

"The question is - what are you doing here? Or better yet, why is _he_ here?" She demanded, pointing at Laxus.

Lucy looked at the brunette in bewilderment.

"It's_ my_ apartment, why wouldn't I be here?"

"You were going out on a job," Cana scolded. "But that still doesn't answer my question - why is _Laxus_ here? And why is he in your_ bed_?"

The two exchanged an uncomfortable look. They couldn't tell her the truth and expect her to believe it, not Cana. Natsu, yes. Erza and Gray, maybe. But Cana, hell no.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at Laxus for a moment before turning back to Cana.

"Cana, can I talk to Lax alone for a moment, please?" Lucy asked in her sweetest voice possible.

Cana raised an eyebrow, "Fine you can find me in your bath when you get done."

"Why _my_ bath?" Lucy yelled, turning back to the brunette.

"Because it's comfortable, I need one, and you owe me a story when you finish your little 'discussion' with Lightening boy," Cana answered, closing the door to the bath firmly behind her.

Lucy buried her head in her hands.

"What do we do?" She asked. "There's no way Cana would believe the truth."

Laxus shrugged, "You could tell her you're my girlfriend."

Lucy glared at him, "And what, we slept together?"

"Actually, I was thinking you could say I stayed over and you had a nightmare so I curled up with you to calm you down," He said, raising an eyebrow.

"But," He added with a smirk. "If you really want to go around telling people that you had sex with me, go for it. Wouldn't be the first time someone used me to boost their reputation."

"Please," Lucy said, rolling her eyes as she crawled out of the bed. "I'll just tell Cana your version thank you very much."

Laxus watched her go, admiring the view, even if her hair was a little messy. He actually liked the 'I-just-woke-up' look on Lucy. He frowned at that reminding himself for what felt like the hundredth time since hanging out with her that he could not be in a relationship with her, even if he really wanted to.

* * *

"Cana," Lucy called as she pushed the door open.

Cana giggled, "Get in here and tell me about everything."

Lucy closed the door behind her, stripping down so she could crawl in the tub with her friend. Once she was settled in, Cana gently combing her hair, she relaxed. At least Cana couldn't see her face while she tried to explain herself to the resident alcoholic.

"So?" Cana demanded.

"So what?"

"_Laxus_, girl. What's going on there?"

Lucy blushed, "Well, we sort of started dating recently. He stayed over because we have a mission a little later today and thought it would be easier than going all the way back to his place."

"Wait - you guys are dating? No, hold that question for later, what I want to know is why was that sexy man in your bed Lucy Heartfilia?" Cana said as Lucy turned to face her.

"Well, I had really bad nightmare last night. Laxus crawled in to calm me and I guess we must have fallen asleep like that," Lucy was surprised at the ease in which the lie slipped out.

"Was it your dad?" Cana asked, remembering that when they had first returned from the time skip Lucy had often had horrible nightmares about her father's death.

Lucy nodded, she had forgotten that Cana knew about those, but she seized the excuse gratefully.

The sat there silent for a moment, recalling what that time had been like, then Cana leaned forward, grinning.

"So when did you and Laxus start dating? I need to know all the details."

Lucy searched her mind, before settling on something that was mostly true anyway.

"I guess it started when we want on our last job. Lax was different. He seemed softer - sweeter and he let down that sneering mask enough that I actually got to know him," Lucy leaned forward getting into the story. "Then we had that match and I guess he must have been worried about me because afterward he kept checking to make sure I was okay. When we got back to the hotel he sort of asked me to be his girlfriend and when we were getting ready to leave he gave me his coat because it was chilly and it was the start of what would have been a beautiful evening. Of course, the whole thing was interrupted when Erza and the team showed up but that's okay."

Cana squealed in delight, "Who else knows?"

Lucy shook her head, "Just you for right now. Lax and I are trying to keep it quiet for as long as possible. You know how Mira and Master can be once they start thinking they got a couple dating."

Cana grinned, "Right, well, you're secret's safe with me. Now that I've bathed I'm out."

* * *

Laxus was feeling a little disturbed. _Did girls normally take this long in the bathroom? What on earth could they be talking about?_ He sighed with relief when they finally emerged and Cana left with a wink at Laxus.

"What did you tell her?" He asked as Lucy packed what she would need for the job.

She grinned and told him the story.

"Now you gotta stick to that okay?"

Laxus nodded. Cana might have promised to keep it quiet, but once she started drinking anything could slip out of her mouth, so who knew how many people would assume they were dating when they got back. The upside was that it was going to be fun pretending to be Lucy's boyfriend for the foreseeable future.

"If anything, we can always pretend like we've broken up when we get back," She offered refusing to look at him.

He nodded, "Right."

But his heart sank a little at the thought.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so this was not originally how this chapter was going to go. Originally I was going to have someone from Team Natsu find them, but I kind of shot that in the foot with the previous chapter, then I thought how much fun it would be to have Cana find them instead. So here it is.**


	11. A Little Idea

The job had seemed to go perfectly. _Seemed_ to. The bandits had been easy to get rid of and the town had paid without complaint, grateful that for once Fairy Tail hadn't destroyed half the place in the process. Just one building, but what was one building compared to what they normally destroyed?

So why did Laxus feel so uneasy?

He glanced over at his partner as they walked toward the train station. He had zoned out for a moment while she chattered away about getting home, in her arms her small "dog" spirit traveled, occasionally agreeing with his master with a small 'pun'.

"You're really attached to him aren't you?" Laxus asked, completely interrupting whatever Lucy was going to say.

She looked around in confusion before looking down at Plue.

"Oh, yeah I guess so. He's a good spirit and easy to keep here," She answered, stroking the top of his head for a moment.

Lucy looked up at Laxus's wistful expression and realized that he must miss his dog while he was gone. After all it's not like you can take a real dog around on jobs with you; you can't just send them away when the fighting gets too dangerous and hotels frown upon bringing pets in. Lucy was only an exception because she could send the spirit away whenever it was needed. She smiled brightly before holding Plue out to the Dragon Slayer.

"Here, you can hold him if you want," She said, before plopping the spirit in his arms.

Laxus and the Nikora spirit looked at each other in bewilderment for a moment before Plue let out a soft 'pun-pun' and nestled himself into Laxus's arms.

"Oi, blondie, why is he shaking so much?" Laxus asked in alarm as the spirit started to tremble.

Lucy laughed at that, "Oh, don't worry about it, Plue always trembles, it's a little nervous tick he has."

Laxus looked down at the sleeping animal and Lucy could see how his whole face softened as he held the dog in one arm.

"Thor used to be this size when he was a puppy," Laxus whispered after a few moments. "He would curl up in my lap and just go straight to sleep and I would sit still for hours, too afraid to move because I didn't want to wake the mutt up when he was so cute sleeping. Freed thought it was adorable to Bickslow and Ever thought I was being too soft on the dog."

"And now?" Lucy promoted.

"Well, now Thor is way too big it sleep in my lap though that doesn't stop the big lug from trying."

Lucy laughed.

_I could completely fall for this guy._ She thought._ He's really gentle once you get him to open up._

* * *

Laxus grinned at her laugh.

_She's really sweet._

The thought hit him out of nowhere and he would have growled at it but he was distracted when he felt cold fingers slip into his own. He glanced down at her bewildered before she pointed to their Guild hall up ahead.

"Time to pretend for the masses," She teased.

"Well, what if Cana didn't say anything?" He asked.

"Doesn't matter, this will make it more believable. We hold hands until we get there, then let go as if we're trying to hide the fact that we're together."

"She might not even notice."

She winked at him, "Cana notices everything. Trust me."

Laxus raised an eyebrow but didn't argue.

_What if Mira notices?_

He pushed the thought away, not really caring. As his hand clasped around her much smaller one he realized that he didn't really care if everyone in Fairy Tail noticed, it felt too right, holding her hand like this.

* * *

When they reached Fairy Tail Lucy was a little dumbstruck when the man holding her hand bent down and kissed her gently on the lips before pushing the door open and quickly dropping her hand, handing Plue back to her. Her face was bright red as she sat down next to Cana who grinned at her.

_'Top secret.'_ Cana mouthed before picking up her barrel.

"Hey Laxus," Cana called as he sat on the other side of the room. "How'd the job go?"

"Fine," Laxus answered, eyeing her warily.

She grinned mischievously, "Nothing.. interesting happen?"

Laxus and Lucy both glared at her.

"No."

Lucy glared in horror at her friend.

_How many people know? Or at least, think they know. Great, just how many people are we going to have to fool._

Cana leaned forward, whispering to her friend, "Don't worry. I didn't tell anyone who didn't already know."

"Luce," Natsu whined, sitting down next to her. "Why didn't you tell me you and Laxus were dating? I would have quit trying to hook you up with Gray."

Lucy looked at Cana, annoyed.

"Whoops, well, maybe Levy and Natsu know now, but honestly, I promise, no one else."

Lucy sighed before turning back to her friend.

"We were just trying to keep quiet about it Natsu. In fact, Cana wouldn't even know except that she walked in on us sleeping in the same bed together."

Natsu scratched his head, confused, "But you and I slept in the same bed together and no one said anything about us dating."

Lucy blushed, "Yeah, well, you're different. People expect you do to weird stuff like that."

* * *

"Laxus," Freed said down next to his friend, looking at him sadly.

"Freed," Laxus replied, looking at him in confusion.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were dating our resident celestial spirit mage?" Freed demanded after a moment.

Laxus's jaw dropped.

_So much for Cana not saying anything._

"Where on Earthland did you hear that from?" Laxus demanded.

"So it's true," Freed looked dejected. "Levy said Cana said something to her about it and wanted to know if I knew anything because she hadn't been told about it at all."

Laxus sighed, "Luce and I were trying to keep it secret, we didn't want people finding out about us just yet."

"But you couldn't even tell Thunder Legion - not even_ me_?" Freed asked. "And _Cana_ knows?"

"Cana knows because she barged into Lucy's room and caught us in bed together."

Freed gasped, staring at his beloved leader in shock. Laxus sighed, he should have known that was the conclusion Freed would jump to. At least Bickslow and Evergreen weren't here to hear him say that or he would never hear the end of it, no matter what he told them.

"It wasn't like that, Freed," Laxus growled. "Lucy was having nightmares. I just curled up with her to calm her and we both fell asleep, that's it."

"No clothing was removed?" Freed asked, visibly relieved.

"No. Lucy's not that kind of girl," Laxus snapped.

He was surprised at how angry he was that people would assume that about the girl he was calling his.

* * *

Lucy was staring dejectedly at the counter, wishing that she could just melt into it. Natsu knew and if Natsu knew then Happy knew... and if Happy knew then probably the rest of the guild was on their way to finding out.

_How did I get into this mess? Oh right, because Cana had to come over while Sparky and I were snuggled together._

She hit her head on the counter, sighing miserably.

_How are we ever going to fix this?_

She was so lost in thought that she was completely startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jumping up, she found herself looking into the eyes of the man that she was supposed to pretend was her boyfriend.

"Can I talk to you in private?" He asked angrily and jerked her away from the counter before she could answer.

_Great. He knows that others know and he's going to have a fit._

She straightened as they moved into a room that was empty.

_There's no reason he should have a fit, he came up with the idea in the first place._

"How many people know?" He asked roughly.

Lucy shrugged, "At least Natsu and Levy."

"Freed knows, too. He'll keep quiet."

Lucy nodded, "Levy will, too. Natsu would but I'm sure he's told at least Happy and if Happy knows..."

She trailed off and the two groaned at the same time.

"If Happy knows then soon everyone will know," Laxus finished.

Lucy nodded, "We could just pretend break up right now."

Her heart literally ached at the idea, but she kept quiet, waiting to see what Laxus would say.

* * *

Laxus pushed his emotions down, he didn't want to leave this beautiful blonde just yet.

"No, let's play this out a little longer, see where it goes," Laxus said quickly.

Lucy nodded and he was relieved to see that brilliant smile of hers light up her face.

"Okay, but if we're going to do this we're going to have to step it up a notch," She teased, winking at him.

He looked at her nervously, "What did you have in mind?"

She just grinned kissing him lightly on the cheek before stepping out of the room.

"Leave that to me."


	12. A Plan Gone Awry

Lucy sat down next to Cana, sighing heavily.

"What's up Lucy?" Cana asked and Lucy shook her head ruefully.

"Laxus," She complained. "I just wish he could understand how difficult this is for me. I hate having to keep secrets from everyone."

Lucy snuck a look at Mira from the corner of her eye, noticing that the takeover mage was listening intently while trying to look like she was busy cleaning the counter.

Cana nodded sympathetically, "Did you tell him that?"

"Yes, but he doesn't want the Master to find out because he thinks that Makarov will start demanding great-grandchildren or something."

Mira's head shot up and Lucy knew she had gotten the girl's attention with that.

She sighed heavily again, pretending to be oblivious of the mage.

"Lucy," Mira hesitated. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help to overhear you and Cana."

_Of course you couldn't_. Lucy thought, suppressing a grin.

She turned, wide eyed, "Oh, Mira, you won't tell anyone will you? Oh, Laxus is going to have a field day if he thinks that other people know that we're dating. Please, Mira, you have to promise not to tell anyone that we're together."

"You're dating _who_?"

The yell came from behind them and the three girls slowly turned to see Evergreen glaring down at Lucy.

"Well, um.. you see..." Lucy started before Mira spoke up.

"She said she's dating Laxus," Mira said loudly.

_Well, I did want to escalate things. Though I didn't think it would go like this._

Lucy noticed that quite a few people were staring at the girls now.

_Well, I guess we won't have to keep it a 'secret' anymore now._

Evergreen glared at the trio before stomping away, determined to have a word with her 'leader.'

* * *

Laxus was sitting in his normal spot, wondering what on Earthland Lucy's plan was. He trusted her not to do something completely stupid, but he still worried that something would come along to mess up her plan. However, she had sounded super confident when she had left, so he stayed in his seat, trying to keep his mind occupied on anything else. That was soon to come to an end.

"Laxus Dreyar," Evergreen's shrill voice called from across the room and he looked up see an angry glint in her eye.

_Oh boy, now what?_

"Since when have you been dating Lucy?" She yelled.

_Well, cat's out of the bag now_. He thought as he stared at Evergreen.

"That's really not any of your business," Laxus replied coolly.

Evergreen glared at him, "Anything that could affect our team is my business. It's Freed business. It's Bickslow's business. It's your business. And it's _my_ business."

"Really? And how long did it take you to admit_ your_ relationship with Elfman?" Laxus asked, rising to his feet.

Evergreen flushed, "It's not the same."

"It's exactly the same."

Freed chuckled from his spot where he had silently been observing the argument between his team mates.

"He has you there, Ever."

She whirled on him, "Why aren't you upset about this?"

Freed shrugged, "Why should I be? Laxus can date who he wants."

Then slyly added, "Besides, I already knew."

"You what!?" She shrieked.

Laxus sighed, "Levy found out and told him."

"Does everyone know but me?" Evergreen pouted a little.

"No, actually only Freed, Levy, Natsu, and Cana knew before you shouted it out. Now I'm sure everyone in the guild knows."

"Actually, Mira knew before me."

Laxus grinned in a flash of understanding.

"I have to go," He told them before setting off to find his 'girlfriend'.

* * *

Lucy was surrounded by people wanting to know about her relationship with Laxus. She smiled brightly and tried to keep all of their questions straight but she was thankful when she felt a strong hand fall on her shoulder.

"Sorry guys, but I think my girlfriend has had enough pestering for right now," Laxus growled as everyone backed away.

Lucy flashed him a grateful smile as he sat down beside her.

"I guess everyone knows we're dating now," He said with a small smile.

She grinned back, "I guess so."

"When did you two start dating?"

Laxus and Lucy turned with horror to find their master standing behind them, staring at them with his mouth slightly ajar. They realized then their one mistake: They had forgotten about the Master. Sure, they had used him as an excuse to keep it quiet, but they hadn't really thought about what his reaction to finding out would be. Now as he stared up at them they thought about it hard and exchanged guilty looks.

"Chill Gramps," Laxus finally said. "We just started a couple of weeks ago."

They had expected various reactions from the small man, but not once did they expect what happened.

Makarov hugged Lucy close to him, tears of joy streaming down his face.

"You got him to open up that stone heart of his, my dear. You're my granddaughter from this day forth as well as my daughter. Anyone who can do what you did deserves love and respect."

Turning he looked at his grandson, "And you better make sure you love and respect her, Laxus. Grandson or no I will hurt you if you don't. You'll never find another girl like her so make sure you hold onto her."

Then he hugged them both before fleeing up to his office, presumably to have a good cry as he was wiping his eyes when he left.

Lucy and Laxus stared at each other dumbfound, before she grinned.

"You hear that Laxus Dreyar? Never going to find another girl like me so you might as well accept that you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future," She teased.

* * *

Laxus's heart flip-flopped, _When did she get to be so bold?_

He grinned back and pulled her closer to him, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Luce."

* * *

**AN: Oh, this is far from over pets, though it does sound kind of like an ending. :) More loveliness to come after I've had about eight hours of sleep.**


	13. Thor! The Best Dog Ever!

**AN: Warning: Sad moments ahead.**

* * *

Bittersweet days passed in a blur for the couple. In the guild they made a show of being together, but a lot of time as soon as they left the guild they went their separate ways. Despite the fact that they only spent time together at the guild, they were learning more about each other each day. Laxus was amused, most of the time, by the way Lucy acted around her team. She seemed to really get into the role when they were around, and sometimes he wondered if she was really faking it or if she secretly wanted this to be something more than just a cover story.

He would not, however, bring himself to ask her about it. Instead, he went out of his way to do little things for her in the time he got to spend with her. A lot of the guys in the guild teased him about it, but most of the time he just rolled his eyes and ignored them. Surprisingly enough, Elfman and Gray were the ones who stuck up for him the most. Elfman insisting it was manly (_no surprise there_), and Gray threatening to turn them into an icicle if they didn't shut their mouths.

Laxus was sure that Gray was doing it for Lucy, who, he was learning, Gray viewed as a little sister. Elfman's motives were more mysterious to him, but he was sure it had something to do with Evergreen.

He entered the guild on this particular day, his eyes doing their customary sweep before settling on his girlfriend, who was sitting at a table with Levy, Gajeel, Gray, and the ever present Juvia. The one that surprised him was Loke, sitting beside the blonde, talking earnestly with her. He sighed, she had that look on her face that said she was about to start yelling, and he knew he'd better get over there before she said something that she would later regret.

That was something else he had discovered about Lucy. Though few things really made her mad when she was upset her fuse was short and when it was lit there was no telling what might come out of her mouth. Usually when she cooled down she felt bad and would start crying about all the mean things she might have said. He strode over to them before she could take her anger out on the spirit and sat on the other side of her, his arm going around her automatically.

* * *

Lucy tensed for a second before leaning back into Laxus. Before, she would have whirled around, checking to see who it was, had anyone put their arm around her. Since she'd started dating Laxus, however, she discovered that most people didn't dare do anything to upset her and now only a select few would put their arm around her - all of whom she trust completely. When the smell of rain, campfire, and something she couldn't quite place filled her nostrils she relaxed completely, knowing that it was Laxus behind her.

Loke glared at him before turning back to her.

"See, this is what I'm talking about," Loke said, gesturing to Laxus. "You just act like it's okay to be his girlfriend when it's not."

"Why isn't it okay, Loke?" Lucy asked through clenched teeth.

"Give it up, man, she's not going to leave him just because you're jealous," Gray said gently.

Lucy shot him a grateful look. She really couldn't afford to have this kind of tension between her and her spirits, but Loke was making it hard for her not to scream at him. She understood his concern, but she was angry that he didn't trust her to make the right call when it came to her happiness, and, surprisingly, she was happy with the dragon slayer.

Loke sighed and bowed, "I'm going back to my world, miss Lucy. If you need me for anything, you know how to summon me."

Lucy sighed in relief when he left as Laxus massaged her shoulder gently.

"Want to tell me what all that was about?" He asked.

She shook her head, "Something stupid. He'll get over it."

She exchanged a concerned look with Gray as she said it, however. Loke didn't usually react this strongly to relationships.

_Is it because I'm dating Laxus or because I'm dating period?_ She wondered as she smiled up at her boyfriend.

* * *

Laxus grinned back before remembering why he was looking for her.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you, do you want to come over to my place?" He asked, looking down at her with a smile.

"What!?" Four voices chorused before Lucy could say anything.

He sighed, rolling his eyes, "Not like that you pervs. Lucy wanted to meet Thor and I thought since it was so nice today she could come over and we could go outside and play with him."

"Who's Thor?" Gray demanded.

Laxus blushed a little before looking back at Lucy, "What do you say, Luce?"

She nodded, "I would love that."

He grinned and led her out of the guild, both of them ignoring Gray as he shouted after them, demanding to know who Thor was.

* * *

Lucy looked around Laxus's house in surprise.

"This is where you live?" She asked, craning her head to look up at the ceilings.

He nodded, "Yeah, just myself and Thor, but we make do."

She looked back over at him, laughing a little, "Yeah, I'd say you do more than 'make do,' Lax."

Laxus flashed a grin at her before letting out an earsplitting whistle. The two stood there for a moment, before Lucy's eyes widened as one of the cutest dogs she'd ever seen came racing in, his tail wagging so hard that it bumped back and forth between the sides of the door frame. His fur coat was a smattering of brown and white over black, his eyes so bright a blue they were almost white. He grinned lopsidedly at the pair before running over to kiss Laxus's hands.

"Lucy, this is Thor," Laxus said proudly, stroking the dog's head. "Thor, this is Lucy. You can call her mom, I guess. Now be good."

Thor immediately sat down, whining a little at Lucy as if to ask her why he was being told to be good when he yet to do anything. She laughed a little as she sat down beside him, running her fingers through his fur. He leaned his head back, regarding her with one eye that shined with happiness.

"He's a beautiful dog, Lax," She said, blushing at his comment about calling her mom.

Laxus grinned, sitting beside her. "He's a Husky and German Shepard mix. One of the best dogs I know."

She grinned back at him as he stood and started making sandwiches.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously.

He grinned back at her, "We're going to have a picnic outside. That way we can eat and talk and Thor can run around like the crazy dog he is."

* * *

Lucy laughed a few hours later as Thor bumped his head against her hand.

"He's a very demanding dog," She teased, giving him a slice of her lunchmeat.

Laxus grinned, "Yes. He's like me. He knows what he wants and he goes for it."

"Where did you find him?" Lucy half joked, but she really was curious as to how a tough guy like Laxus ended up with such a sweet and loving dog.

Laxus smile faltered for a moment, "We actually found each other. I was out walking in the rain, pissed at Gramps for something or another when I heard a whine coming from the alleyway I was walking by. I thought I would just go and take him home. Instead I found this scrawny little mutt with all of his ribs showing, he looked like he was on his last leg, but I knew I couldn't just leave him there so I took him back to the guild and Gramps got him fixed up good. Come to find out the owners only wanted purebreds and when they found he was a mix they dumped him in the streets, not caring if he lived or died."

Laxus clenched his fists at the memory and Lucy felt a tug at her heart as she looked at the dog who's head was now laying in her lap, regarding her with one sad eye.

"I promised to take care of him so long as I could keep him and now here we are. He's the best dog a person could ask for. Everyone seems to adore him, though he's not overly a people dog until he gets to know you. He loves my team and the Strauss siblings, but adores me and Mira," Laxus looked over at them. "He seems to adore you too."

Thor sighed in agreement as Lucy pat his head.

"Because he's a wonderful dog and he knows I know that," Lucy grinned.

She watched as the dog and his owner interacted and felt a tug on her heart. She was going to hate it when it was time to give up the charade. Suddenly, more than anything in the world, all she wanted was for this afternoon to never end. She wanted to sit here with the man she loved and his beautiful, playful dog forever. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she had to look away to wipe them.

* * *

Laxus had been carefully watching the interactions between Thor and Lucy. Thor was skittish around humans, and, while he didn't mean it, he could become mean if they didn't leave him alone at first, which is why Laxus was so surprised at how much he seemed to love Lucy. He hated himself for knowing that eventually he was going to have to let Lucy go and break his dog's heart.

_Your dog's heart or yours?_ He wondered.

He glanced over in time to see Lucy wiping her eyes and sighed inwardly, wondering if he were to ask her out right now if she would say yes. He bit his lip and wrapped an arm around her. He wasn't ready yet, but he could feel it. There was no way he was going to let this beautiful woman go without a fight. What had been a convenient lie had become a hope that he just couldn't let go of.


	14. A Perfect Day

**AN: Wow! Over 100 followers! I am touched you guys, this is a big achievement for me! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and continued support. This chapter is for all of you.**

* * *

The day began to darken and Lucy looked up in surprise.

"Have we really been out here that long?" She asked, noticing the sun was past it's highest point.

Laxus looked up in surprise, "I guess we have."

He whistled and Thor came bounding over, his tongue hanging out one side of his mouth and he panted happily. He regarded the two with bright eyes as if he was laughing at some joke that only he understood. Lucy bent over and hugged the dog tightly, stroking his head.

"I'm going to miss you, Thor," She said, kissing his snout.

He huffed in agreement and Lucy laughed lightly.

Laxus watched the exchange with a heavy heart.

"You are welcome to come over anytime to see Thor," The words left him before he even realized he was going to say them and they both laughed when Thor barked in agreement.

"Come on Thor, I gotta walk your mom home now," Laxus said to the dog.

"That's really not necessary," She replied, following along behind them.

Laxus turned as he opened the door, "Sure it is. No way Thor's going to let me let you walk home along when it's getting this late. He'll never let me hear the end of it."

Lucy laughed, giving in, "Alright, if Thor thinks it's necessary, I guess I can't argue."

Thor barked happily before rushing off.

Laxus grinned, "I never did give you a tour of the house."

Lucy shrugged, "Well, you'll just have to show me next time I come over."

Laxus's heart was racing as he asked, "You plan on coming over again?"

Lucy looked up at him, "You did invite me."

He grinned as he opened the front door, taking her hand in his own.

"That's true, I did."

The two walked in silence, hand-in-hand as they pondered the dilemma they were in. Neither of them wanted to admit how they felt, but they both felt that if they didn't say something soon then their 'relationship' was destined to fall apart.

"I was thinking -"

"So about what you said -"

The two laughed and Laxus gestured for Lucy to go first.

"About what you said, about Thor calling me mom. Isn't it going to break his heart when we finally decide to end this?" Lucy asked, her grip tightening slightly.

Laxus looked at her, surprised to find they were thinking along the same lines.

"Actually I was just going to suggest something to fix that," Laxus said, and Lucy was surprised to see that he was blushing.

* * *

He looked anywhere but at her as they reached her door. He didn't want to see her reaction if she rejected him. Right here could turn their relationship into the real thing or it could end the whole fake relationship, either way he had to ask, he couldn't take the pretending any longer.

"I was thinking, how would you like to be my girlfriend?" He blurted, still looking elsewhere.

He couldn't believe himself, Laxus, who was considered a 'Ladies Man', was blushing, afraid to ask a girl out.

She blushed, "I am your girlfriend, Lax."

He shook his head, "I meant, for real. Enough of this lying and pretending."

* * *

Lucy knew what he meant when he first asked, afraid he was trying play some kind of prank on her she avoid the question by pointing out they were dating. Now she looked away, blushing furiously, knowing she would have to answer him properly this time.

* * *

Laxus's heart dropped, she was going to say no. He had put his heart on the line and now she was going to reject it. Inwardly he cursed himself for ruining a good thing. Even if it had been fake at least it was better than nothing. Now things were going to be awkward and broken between them.

"Yes," She said, smiling brightly at him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - what?" He asked, completely taken by surprise by her answer.

"Yes," She repeated. "Yes, I will be your real girlfriend Laxus Dreyar."

She stood up on her tip-toes and kissed him on the nose.

"But if you break my heart I'll sic Leo on you," She teased.

He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply.

"I'll never break your heart, Luce," He answered when he finally pulled away. "It would kill me to do it."

She grinned at him as she opened her door, "Good. I'll see you tomorrow Lax."

He grinned as he walked home. He had done it, he had asked the girl of his dreams out and she had said yes. He felt like dancing, or singing. He was surprised when he got home to find he was still grinning, when was the last time he had smiled this much? He couldn't remember, but it felt good. He allowed Thor to climb in his lap as he thought about his real girlfriend. How good did that feel, to know that she was really his and he wouldn't have to worry about a pending break up anytime soon.

"Laxus, I think your face is broken."

He looked up, surprised to see his team sitting in his living room.

"How long have you guys been here?" He demanded, his grin slipping.

They shrugged together.

"Long enough," Evergreen replied.

"I still think your face is broken," Bickslow answered. "It's grinning. Like a real grin with teeth and everything."

Laxus looked away, annoyed, "Shut up. A guy has a right to grin alright."

"Well, yeah, but Laxus, you _never_ grin," The Seith mage replied, giving a grin of his own to his leader.

"I think Laxus-sama must have spent the day with Miss Lucy," Freed replied, giving the dragon slayer a knowing look.

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Freed."

He couldn't, however, keep the grin from spreading across his face again.

* * *

Lucy laid in her bed, grinning brightly as she thought about her boyfriend. She couldn't believe that he had actually asked her to be his girlfriend for real. Sure, they had a sort of relationship when they had been pretending to go out before, but now it was the real thing. She wondered what, if anything, would be different. She hoped not a lot because she was enjoying their relationship right now just as it was.

She was startled when Loke appeared beside her, glowering down at her.

"He asked you out for real, didn't he?" The spirit demanded, being the only one who knew that their relationship had been a scam.

She nodded, smiling up at him, "He did. And I said yes."

He sighed, "Are you sure this is what you want Luce? I just don't want to see you get hurt, especially not by him. I've seen it once, I don't need to see it a second time."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him, "I'll be fine Loke, really. I promise. I told him that if he hurt me I would sic you on him."

Loke grinned, "Good, because whether you did or not I would still kick his ass."

"I know you would try," She teased, leaning her head on his arm.

He sighed, "Are you happy Luce?"

She nodded, humming her agreement.

"Well, then I guess I'll leave you alone about it, but you have to promise me that the moment he does anything to hurt you you'll call on me."

Lucy sighed, wondering why her spirit was so certain that Laxus was going to hurt her. She agreed and he smiled softly before disappearing back to his home world. Lucy sat up, staring out her window and wondering just what it was her spirit thought he knew that she didn't.


	15. Breakfast

**AN: ****kurahieiritr JIO:**** Thank you for showing me that. I do have a tendency of forgetting that when I'm writing. :S I will work on improving!**  
**And thank the rest of you for your wonderful reviews! What on Earth could Loke think he knows that Lucy doesn't I wonder? Well, you'll have to wait a few chapters to find out ;) Can't give away all my secrets to early, now can I?**

* * *

Lucy rolled over, feeling something warm and solid snuggled next to her. She yawned and pushed on the source, feeling flesh under her hands.

"Natsu," She whined, still not fully awake. "It's too hot."

A deep laugh rumbled in her ear and her eyes shot open. That was definitely not Natsu's laugh and those were definitely not Natsu's hands around her waist. She looked up into a pair of stormy blue eyes and smiled for the first time that morning.

"Hello, Lax," She said, stretching.

"Good morning, Luce." He grinned. "Mind telling me why you thought Flame-brain was in your bed?"

Lucy curled up beside him, giggling, "Natsu had a tendency of sneaking in while I asleep and curling up with me. Often I would wake up, feeling smothered, to find him there. I just got so used to it that, in my dreamy state, I assumed it was him."

Laxus laughed and pulled her closer to him.

"Then I forgive you for calling me Natsu," He teased, kissing her head.

She laughed before remembering, "Hey, why are you here anyway? How did you get in?"

Laxus grinned, "I'm here because I got tired of waiting outside for you sleepy head. And you're window was open, so I just squeezed through that."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure that you're not secretly Natsu's older brother or something?" She teased after a moment, crawling out of bed to get away in case he decided to swat her.

Laxus gave her a blank look, confused by her question.

"Natsu used to do the exact same thing. I swear you two are related," She giggled, heading for the kitchen.

"Hey!" Laxus protested, following after her. "I'm nothing like that idiot."

"Suit yourself," She answered as she started making breakfast. "Hungry?"

* * *

Laxus looked at her incredulously, the girl seemed completely unfazed by everything he threw at her. In his mind he slowly ticked off the things he'd done that could have sent her running in the opposite direction: force her to go on a job with him, accepted. Asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend, no hesitation. Had her meet Thor, loved him. Asked her to be his real girlfriend, kissed him. Now he'd curled up in her bed while she was asleep and here she was making him breakfast as if it was just par for the course.

He walked over to her, kissing her gently.

"Have I told you how amazing you are?" He whispered.

Lucy looked up at him, blinking. She had expected a relationship with Laxus would be low-key. He would do his thing and she would do hers and he probably wouldn't acknowledge the relationship with her too much. Maybe treat her a little differently, ask her to hang out a little more, but this was something she was not expecting. She was surprised to see yet another side of Laxus that she had known nothing about.

She kissed him back and then grinned, "How amazing am I?"

He laughed as he sat down at her table.

"Pretty damn amazing," He admitted.

She laughed as she started cooking breakfast.

"So what's the plan for today?" She asked a few minutes later.

"Whatever you want, love," He answered.

* * *

She blushed at the endearment as she scrambled the eggs she was cooking. She really hadn't made any plans for the day, having the vague notion that she would work on her novel and then head down to the guild for awhile. She knew that if she didn't show up after so many days that her team would be over to look for her and find out why she hadn't been to see them in awhile.

She sat down across from Laxus, setting plates in front of both of them.

"I really didn't have any plans today," She answered. "I'm more of a last minute girl rather than a plan things out girl. Every time I try one of the team usually messes it up anyway."

He nodded, "They do seem sort of like a spur of the moment bunch."

She grinned, fondly, "Yea, they really are. I don't mind though, they're always taking me on a new adventure anyway."

"So guild after breakfast?" He asked.

She nodded in agreement, her mouth too full of egg to speak.

Laxus laughed, but ate the rest of his breakfast in silence.

* * *

_This is nice_, Laxus thought. _The two of us just sitting here, eating our morning breakfast like it's no big thing. I could get used to this._

He smiled at the thought, watching Lucy as she ate her breakfast. She was not a morning person, he could tell that just by the way her eyelids kept drooping while she ate and the fact that it was almost eleven.

"Tired?" He asked after a moment.

She shook her head, "I just don't do mornings."

"That much was obvious," He said drily.

She glared at him half-heartedly as she finished her breakfast. He had to smirk at the expression - with her hair going every which way and her eyes still drooping it was the most comical thing he had seen in a while, but he kept that to himself, clearing the table for her instead.

"I could have gotten that," She protested.

He shook his head, "No way, I was raised that the cook does not get to clear the table or do the dishes, so you just sit right there and I'll take care of this."

Lucy frowned, but didn't protested further, enjoying watching him as he scrubbed her dishes.

* * *

_Who would have thought that Laxus could do domestic housework?_

Lucy hummed to herself while she got around, leaving Laxus to the last few dishes now that she was sure they were in capable hands. She felt incredibly lucky that someone as sweet as him had asked her out. Not that she knew he was sweet when they had first started out. In fact, she didn't even know he could smile until recently. She frowned as she remembered how mean he had been when they first met. She still wondered what he had seen exactly that had changed him so completely, but she didn't dare ask. Settling, instead, for just being happy now.

"You ready?" He asked, leaning on the doorway of her room.

She smiled up at him as she slipped on her boots.

"Yep. Let's go show everyone we mean business."

* * *

Laxus chuckled as they headed out of her place.

_She's definitely something else._


	16. Family

The guild was just as rowdy as usual and Lucy had to push her way through to get to the table that her friends were sitting around. She was surprised to see the Thunder Legion sitting there as well, seemingly right at home. Freed seemed to be in a deep discussion with Levy while Gajeel scowled at the two of them, causing Lucy to giggle at the sight, Evergreen looked bored while she chatted with Erza, and Bickslow was busing teasing Lisanna about something or another. Lucy grinned as she watched them, they all seemed to fit together so well that it surprised her they didn't all spend time together before now.

"Looks like our families are getting to know one another," She teased Laxus as he noticed the two groups blending in together.

He scowled, "I can't decide which side I feel worse for."

"Oh, you're side, definitely, after all, we are adjusted to Natsu and Gray and the Thunder Legion isn't," She laughed as Gray threw off his shirt causing Juvia to swoon and Erza to hit him on the head while Evergreen eyed all of this with dismay.

"Honestly, I don't know how you put up with them," Laxus said, sitting down next to Gajeel while Lucy slide in the seat next to Levy.

She grinned, "It's what you do for family."

Natsu looked up at those words, grinning back, "Luce, did you just call us_ family_?"

She grinned back, nodding.

He jumped up, leaping over the seat as he ran over to her, hugging her.

"You've never called us family before," He said gleefully, then quickly let go when he saw Laxus scowling at him.

She laughed, "Well, probably because I knew something like this would happen."

* * *

Laxus couldn't help but to be amused by his girlfriend's team, or 'family' as she called them. Erza kept them all in check but Lucy, he could tell was the real heart. As soon as she sat down it seemed everyone had something they wanted to tell her or ask her advice on. He felt a twinge of jealousy, then of pride as he realized that Lucy was answered everyone as best she could, smiling the whole time. He wondered what it would be like if his team was more like that. They had their friendships, but, he realized, none of them were close like this.

He enjoyed watching the interact, even if he wouldn't say as much and was especially proud when his team started to open up to the Celestial Wizard and ask her questions. Freed spoke up after a moment, asking Lucy if she would like to accompany them sometime on a job. Laxus blinked in surprise, wondering why he hadn't thought of asking her that.

Evergreen jumped on the idea, "Oh, please say you will. I'm so tired of being the only girl with all of these boys. It would be nice to talk to _someone_ who understands me."

"Yes, Lucy, you should. Evergreen should not be without a female companion," Erza chimed.

"Yeah, Luce, we are way more fun than this bunch," Bickslow added, sticking out his tongue.

Lucy looked between everyone as others started to put in their opinions. She looked at Laxus for help, but he just smirked, enjoying the moment. He knew that if his team wanted her to join them they would beg and cajole until she finally gave in. After a few moments he spoke up.

"Might as well agree, babe, Thunder Legion is just as stubborn as Team Natsu and they won't let up until you do," He teased.

* * *

Lucy eyed him for a moment, wondering if he was also trying to invite her along or if he was just agreeing to make his teammates happy. She knew that he cared for her, but did he really want her tagging along with his friends?

She threw up her hands in surrender, "Alright, I'll go. Just don't expect too much out of me."

Both teams grinned at her response and Evergreen pushed Laxus aside so she could link arms with Lucy.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun," She cooed, grinning. "We can stay up and talk about girl things. It'll be so nice not to have to listen to those three all night."

Lucy smiled at the woman, wondering what it was she had just gotten herself into.

"It is good you are going, Lucy," Erza told her later on once some of the team had departed. "I really don't approve of Evergreen having to go along with them without at least one female to keep an eye on her."

"Erza, she's dating Elfman," Lucy pointed out.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that one of those boys wouldn't try to take advantage of her anyway," Erza stated, then quickly added. "Well, Laxus won't, he has you now Lucy and I know he's pretty loyal to those he cares about."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "And Freed?"

Erza admitted that Freed was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of anyone.

"So you're really just worried about Bickslow," Lucy stated.

Erza smiled, "Perhaps. Or perhaps I over exaggerate things, but just like when you joined with our team. I couldn't just leave you alone with Natsu and Gray."

Lucy laughed, "Now that is understandable. Those two are dangerous to be around."

Erza agreed, then nodded her head in the direction of the door.

"I think someone is waiting for you, Lucy."

The blonde turned to see Laxus leaning against the door, watching the two girls talk. She grinned and waved at him.

"It's really amazing that the two of you started dating, you know," Erza said, Cana nodding in agreement.

"Why?" Lucy asked, curiously.

"The two of you are so different. He's so cut off from everyone and broody. You're like a little ray of sunshine, bright and friends with everyone. It's almost like you two shouldn't be together and Fate somehow got messed up," Cana teased.

Lucy's gut twisted and she quickly excused herself to see Laxus.

* * *

Laxus watched, concerned as Lucy hurried toward him, her face screaming panic. She grabbed his hand and almost pulled him out of the guild hall, walking him back toward her place. About halfway there she turned and started heading back the way she came. Finally Laxus pulled her to a stop.

"What's going on, Luce?" He demanded, completely confused by her behavior.

"I need to talk to you in private. I was going to take you back to my place, but, given the fact that my friends are likely to burst in on us at any time, I thought maybe we should go to your place instead." She answered shortly, pulling him in the direction of his house.

"What's going on, Lucy?"

She shushed him, "I'll explain when we get back to your place."

He nodded, but he was still worried, and, judging by the look on her face, she was too.


	17. Lucy Upsets Laxus - Unintentionally

Lucy whirled on Laxus the moment they closed the door to his place, Thor thundering across the tiled floor to meet them.

"Did you say anything?" She demanded, absently stroking the dog's head.

"Say anything about what,_ exactly_?" He asked, annoyed that she would accuse him of doing something with clearly defining what it was that he was supposed to have done.

"About the act? About us faking at first?"

"Why would I do that? My ass would be on the line just as much as yours. The only person I know that knows besides us is Loke," Laxus answered.

Lucy sighed, feeling her panic subsiding, "Well, Cana seems to think that someone messed with fate because we are so different."

"Well, tell Cana that she can jump off a cliff," Laxus growled, before taking her in his arms.

Softening, he asked, "Are you happy, Luce?"

She nodded, her breath hitching at how close he was to her. She could feel his chest pressing against hers as he leaned his forehead against her own.

"Well, I'm happy. You're happy. No one else should matter," He whispered, kissing her deeply.

Lucy forgot about her worries and the dog that stood beside them as she wrapped her arms around Laxus, kissing him back just as deeply. He licked her bottom lip hesitantly and she opened her mouth to accept it, their tongues tangling together. Finally the two broke apart, panting slightly from lack of air, their foreheads still touching.

"Well, I would say that would definitely stop people from saying anything else," Lucy joked, still slightly breathless.

He chuckled, kissing her lightly this time before stepping away. Lucy instantly felt the lose of contact, her whole body aching for him to come back into her arms. Instead she took a step back, distancing herself from this man who was causing her to feel dangerous and excited at the same time.

_Where did that come from?_ She thought, studying him as he busied himself in the kitchen.

* * *

Laxus turned away quickly, preparing food that neither of them would probably eat. No, their appetite was more physical, he knew. He also knew that things were moving way too fast for her. He was used to whirlwind romances, which usually ended once he'd gotten what he wanted from the girl. Lucy was different though, he wanted to see Lucy happy, and not hurt.

He growled inwardly. What was going on with him? Never before had he cared if he hurt the girl or not. Most girls, though, didn't care if they hurt him. He knew Lucy would care, she felt things too deeply to not care. He sighed, struggling with himself. The more he got to know her, the more he adored her, and the fact that everyone else he trusted and cared for also adored her made it harder for him to stay away.

His thoughts turned to the kiss they had just shared and his stomach tightened_. Who knew a girl like her could kiss like that?_ Just thinking about it made him want to throw her on the floor and finish what they had started. He inhaled deeply, reminding himself that he couldn't do that. She was his bona fide girlfriend now, he would have to treat her like a girlfriend and not a play thing.

Laxus looked over at her where she sat, studying him and couldn't quite wipe the smile off his face. She was amazing and so kind. He wondered if it would be possible for their relationship to last and he was surprised to find that he actually wanted it to.

"Are you hungry?" He finally asked, making a decision somewhere that he was going to try to see this through to it's natural end, even if that meant tomorrow or after they both were gone from this world.

Lucy smiled, "Two meals with my boyfriend, you're going to spoil me Laxus."

Laxus grinned at her, "I think if I get too out of hand you'll put me in my place."

She nodded, "You got that right."

* * *

Eating lunch with Laxus was not something that Lucy would have expected would be pleasant, but it was. He was constantly surprising her with how kind he was, especially after all the horror stories that Levy had told her about the lightening mage. She blushed at the thought, pushing Levy's words out of her mind as she examined her boyfriend. She knew he was a known player, but this just felt right. She didn't want her heart broken, but she also didn't want to leave just because he had done some awful things in his past. Some of her good friends had done awful things, but they still changed and she saw that change in Laxus. Granted it was still in the working, but she could still see where he was changing and opening up just a little bit at a time.

She grinned as she watched him eat. As if sensing her watching him he looked up and blushed a little.

"I try not to eat at the guild too much because I know I eat a lot. It's kind of embarrassing," He confessed as he finished off his fourth sandwich.

She laughed, "It's okay. I eat a lot, too. You, at least, look good no matter what. I should work on cutting back with how heavy I'm getting."

Laxus looked at her in irritation, "Who says you're heavy?"

Lucy gestured to her figure, "Well, I mean look at how big I am."

He grabbed her arms, looking at her with a serious expression. Lucy swallowed, she hadn't see Laxus look like that ever.

"Lucy, why do you think you're fat?"

She paused, she really hadn't ever thought about it. Natsu and Happy were always picking on her about her size and complaining that she was heavy. She had just gotten so used to that she started parroting their words on her own. She looked away, blushing.

"It's nothing," She answered.

"No, it's_ not_ nothing, Lucy. You are the most amazing and beautiful girl I have ever seen, so why do you put yourself down like that all the time?" Laxus demanded. "I'm not letting go until you tell me."

She sighed, staring at the table, "I just got used to hearing it all the time. I guess I heard it so much I started to believe it."

"Who. Told. You. That?" Laxus growled, biting off each word in his attempt not to start yelling.

"It's really nothing, Lax, they didn't mean anything by it," She avoided answering.

"It's not nothing. You shouldn't go around thinking that about yourself. I do not date ugly or fat girls, got it? So tell me who needs an attitude adjustment."

Lucy glared at the table and Laxus sighed heavily.

"They really mean that much to you?" He demanded after a few moments.

She nodded and he let go of her arms.

"Fine, but if I ever find out who would say such a thing to you, I'm going to have a conversation with them about what is proper to say to a lady and what isn't."

Lucy sighed and kissed him lightly.

"I know you care, Laxus, but trust me when I say I wish this is something that you would just leave alone. I'm just happy knowing that you care about me."

He nodded, kissing her back, "I really do care about you, Luce."

She grinned, "Then I suggest we go back to the guild and get a job. We can take the Thunder Legion with us."

* * *

Laxus agreed with her, his mind still on what she had said earlier. How could someone like her think she was fat? It surprised him how much it bothered him that she would say that about herself. Sure, she wasn't super thin like some, but she was by no means fat. It really pissed him off that someone would make her feel that way about herself, and that she would protect them.

As they walked and she made plans on her phone with Evergreen, he silently went through the list of people that she would want to protect. It was an extensive list, because his girlfriend seemed to always want to protect everyone, but he knew that there were some that she cared for more than others. Those were the ones he started with because they were the most likely to be on the list.

He knew Erza would never say anything like that, she was too kind and moral for it. Gray he could picture saying it, but Juvia would probably yell at him for it. In fact, he probably would never hear the end of it, because, despite her protests that Lucy was her 'love-rival', Juvia cared a great deal for the blonde and would be angry with anyone who would talk down to her. Levy was too sweet and Gajeel wouldn't dare call his quasi-girlfriend's best friend fat, not if he wanted his relationship with Levy to last more than five minutes. That left Natsu and Happy.

Despite the fact that the two would never intentionally hurt their friends, he knew they could easily do it unintentionally and never know it. He sighed, realizing that it was probably them that had given his girlfriend her current complex. Sometimes they just said things, blurting them out without thinking about what the consequences of their words might be. They might have meant to say something else, but the words 'You're fat' or 'you need to lose weight' could easily have been the ones that slipped out.

Watching Lucy now as they entered the Fairy Tail guild hall, he resolved to talk to the Fire Dragon Slayer and his little blue exceed as soon as Lucy and Evergreen went off to pack for whatever job Evergreen and Freed had picked out for them. Knowing that they were doing a job, he had already packed so he would stay at the guild and wait for the others to return. Smirking slightly to himself he settled into his usual chair and waited.

* * *

**AN: Please don't hate me! One of the few things I hated about the relationship between Natsu, Happy, and Lucy was the fact that they were always calling her fat and heavy, which she really isn't. And even if she was, I didn't understand how it was okay for them to say so to someone who was supposed to be their really good friend. Anyways, Enjoy :) I just started working again so my updates might take a little longer, but I will try to make chapters longer to make up for it - no promises though because my mind is fickle. ;)**


	18. A Little More Conversation

**AN: So it might be taking me even longer than I anticipated to update. The processer I was using to write on freezes anytime I hit the enter button, so bear with me if it takes a while.**

As soon as Lucy and Evergreen were out the door Laxus stood, stretching, and made his way over to where Lucy's team sat. Gray and Natsu were arguing, as usual, while Juvia and Lisanna looked on with annoyed expression. Grabbing Natsu by the back of his shirt, Laxus quickly pulled him away before a fight could break out.

"Laxus, what's the big idea? I was in the middle of conversation with Ice Princess!" Natsu yelled as Laxus dragged him into an empty room, tossing him in as he closed the door, locking it.

"That can wait," Laxus answered, glowering at his fellow Dragon Slayer. "You and I have some business to discuss."

Natsu scratched his head, confused, "What business?"

"Lucy, for example," Laxus said calmly, seething inside.

Natsu's face brightened, "She's the best, isn't she?"

"Yes, she _is_. Which is why you won't be telling her about our little chat."

"Why's that?"

Laxus sighed at Natsu's confused face. The poor boy really had no idea that he'd done anything wrong, which annoyed Laxus all the more.

"Look, just shut up and listen because I really want to kick your ass from here until next Tuesday, got it? But I'm trying to remain calm and talk to you about it like Luce would want," Laxus practically snarled.

Natsu looked at Laxus nervously, "What's going on?"

Laxus sat down across from Natsu, "Lucy and I were having a perfectly nice lunch earlier today when she said something that really ticked me off. Wanna take a guess as to what it was?"

Natsu thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "I have no idea."

"She said she was _fat_," Laxus snapped. "Which she isn't. Lucy is perfect just the way she is. However, she wouldn't tell me who had convinced her of that particular issue. She just told me that she'd heard it a lot. Now, I know who her friends are and I narrowed the list down. Do you know who my top suspect is?"

Natsu pointed to himself, looking worried for the first time since Laxus had locked the door.

"That's right. Now, Natsu, have you _ever_ called Lucy fat?" Laxus asked, smiling evilly.

Natsu swallowed, "Well, maybe once or twice. But I didn't mean it like that. She's just really heavy to carry."

"Of course she's heavy," Laxus retorted. "One, you're practically the same size as her. Two, have you noticed how big she is in the chest area. Those things probably weigh a lot."

Natsu nodded, "I know, I know."

"Now, today I will let it slide. I know how you can be, Natsu. You might not have meant to hurt her, but you did. You hurt her so much she truly believes she's fat, got it? So I don't ever want to hear that you're calling her - or_ any_ other girl - fat. You're better than that, Natsu, aren't you?"

Natsu nodded, "Yeah, I suppose I am."

"Good, because no girl deserves to be told she's fat. Especially not consistently. If I do hear that you're calling girls fat I will be sure to let Erza and Mira know. I don't always have time to rectify the problem, but I know one of those two would be delighted to take my place if needed," Laxus said, an angry aura surrounding him.

Natsu swallowed again, nodding, "I promise, Laxus."

Laxus waved a dismissive, letting the boy flee from the room. He sat there glowering for a long while more. He had really wanted to kick the crap out of Natsu, but had held back because he knew Lucy wouldn't have wanted that.

* * *

Lucy returned to the guild an hour later, looking around for her boyfriend and his team. Evergreen followed in behind her, grinning broadly as she took a seat.

"Where is everyone?" Lucy asked after a few moments.

"Freed is probably still figuring out what books to pack, and Bickslow is always the last one here," Evergreen frowned, looking around. "But Laxus should be here. He brought his bag with him."

Lucy pointed to his chair, "His bag is there, but he's not."

The two exchanged concerned looks before Lucy ran over to her usual team.

"Has anyone seen Laxus?" She asked.

Natsu pointed down a hall.

"He's in the third room on the left," He said, glumly.

Lucy frowned at him in concern. Glum was not Natsu's mood of choice and she wondered, fleetingly, what was wrong with him before heading toward the room Natsu had pointed out. She knocked gently, listening for an answer, and when none was forthcoming pushed the door open.

She found him sitting in the same spot as when Natsu left, glaring at the floor. Wordlessly she sat down next to him, taking his hand in her own. He looked up, startled, his whole face softening when he saw her. She squeezed his hand, concerned.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked.

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever it is that has you seeming so upset."

He shook his head, "You know I'm not good for you, right?"

She kissed him gently, "It doesn't matter."

Inside her heart was racing and she was panicking. She had no idea what had happened while she was gone, but something did and she had a feeling that it had to do with Natsu. She kissed Laxus once more before standing, pulling him up with her.

"Come on, Evergreen is waiting and I bet by now the others are here," She teased, pushing her worries to the back of her mind.

He smiled up at her, "How long have you two been gone?"

"An hour."

* * *

_An hour?_

He had been sitting here brooding for at least half that then, probably longer. He wasn't one to brood, so this came as a surprise to him.

_What is she doing to me?_

Part of him didn't really care because he knew it was probably a good thing. Another part of him panicked, this was new territory and he didn't like it. What happened to the promise he had made that no girl would ever get to him? He wouldn't turn out like his old man or his gramps where some woman had broken his heart and left him. Here he was, however, falling for this beautiful blonde with big brown eyes. What the hell was going on?

He shook himself. Lucy was wonderful. She was an angel and he didn't deserve her, he knew. She seemed to want to be with him for some reason, however, and he was not going to complain or ruin that. He allowed her to lead him out to where Freed and Evergreen were waiting. Bickslow still hadn't showed, which didn't surprise him one bit, the boy had probably gone home and laid down for a nap. He would be along eventually.

Lucy was surprised to see that Freed had arrived while she had been retrieving her errant boyfriend. She looked around, noticing that Bickslow had yet to arrive.

"He could be a while," Laxus grunted, as if reading her thoughts. "Might as well make yourself comfortable."

Lucy smiled and sat, only to stand up again immediately, remembering how upset Natsu had seemed when she had seen him earlier.

"I'll be right back," She announced, hurrying to the bar where he sat.

* * *

"Hey, Natsu," She said, sitting beside him.

"Hey, Luce," He said, listlessly.

She frowned, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "It's nothing."

"It's something, or you wouldn't seem so down."

"No, it's nothing."

Lucy kicked him under the table, feeling annoyed that he was lying to her.

"Ow, Luce, what was that for?" He yelled, jumping up,and she giggled, feeling better now that he wasn't pouting.

"It's for lying to me, stupid," She answered.

He sighed and sat back down, allowing his head to thump on the table.

"I'm sorry, Luce," He whispered after a moment.

"You should be. Lying is no way to treat your best friend," She answered, teasing him a little.

"No, not for lying to you. I'm sorry for being so mean to you."

She looked at him in confusion, "When were you ever mean to me?"

"Well, Happy and I. We come in and steal your food all the time, interrupting your privacy and you're always so nice about it, but it's just what we do to show we care," He explained.

"I know that, Natsu, you don't need to apologize for it."

He shook his head. "I really do. I also need to apologize for calling you fat. That wasn't what I meant by it, but you still didn't deserve to hear that."

Lucy looked at him in concern, "It's fine, Natsu, really."

She hugged him tightly, not really knowing where this was coming from, but knowing that he needed to know that everything was okay between them. He smiled at her gratefully as Bickslow walked in the door.

"Oi, Boss, I think Natsu's hitting on your girl," He yelled, smirking at the two.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the Seith mage, "Right, because that's what we really need right now is to have a fight between my boyfriend and my best friend. Shut up Bix and let's get going."

Evergreen grinned at the blonde, taking Lucy's arm in her own, "See, you're going to fit in just fine. Oh, this is going to be exciting."

Laxus rolled his eyes dramatically as Bickslow laughed. Freed just smiled at the Celestial Spirit Mage as they headed out. She grinned at the four, wondering what trouble she had just gotten herself into.


	19. Comparison

Lucy had no idea what the job was, so she followed along with the group, resolving to talk to Evergreen tonight and find out. She knew that Thunder Legion usually took higher risk jobs and she was concerned that she wouldn't be able to keep up. It was true that she had gotten stronger in the time she had been in Fairy Tail, but it was also true that they had, too. She studied the four mages in front of her, surprised at how different they all seemed when they could all work so well together. She knew that Laxus probably had a hand in that. The other three seemed more than willing to do whatever he said though they could easily have walked away at any time.

It seemed like Laxus was the Erza of their group, leading by strength of will alone, the others were partly terrified of him and partly in love with him. Before she knew it she had categorized everyone in the group, placing them in the positions of her group. She had decided that Bickslow was a lot like Natsu, which really wasn't too far off with the way he acted. Bickslow might be less high strung then the pinkette she compare him to, but he still had that child-like attitude where everything was great and fun like Natsu had. Evergreen was definitely Gray then, the two argued back and forth like brother and sister until one of them threw up their hands in frustration and walked away. Lucy was sure that if they were both guys a fight would have broke out.

Which left Freed as the groups Lucy. Which seemed to fit him surprisingly well. Freed was calm, level-headed despite the chaos that surrounded him and Lucy often wondered as they journeyed how it was that he got dragged into this group. He seemed to take everything with ease, ignoring the constant bickering of the two beside him. She couldn't help but giggle, which caused Freed and Laxus to look at her questioningly.

"What's up, Luce?" Laxus asked.

"I just feel like I'm at home," She answered. "The Thunder Legion isn't much different from my team."

"Really?" Evergreen asked. "I always imagined that you guys managed to become more rowdy and crazy than we could."

"Oh, that's for sure, though I'm sure you guys could get like that if you really wanted to," Lucy answered. "You all seem like a low-key version of us though. It's actually kind of comforting to know that deep down, we're all really not that different."

Bickslow grinned, "Does that mean each one of us acts like a member of your team?"

Lucy nodded, surprised that the Seith Mage had caught on before anyone else.

Bickslow let out a loud 'Whoop' before demanding to know who he was like.

"I bet it's Natsu, huh?" He asked, sticking out his tongue.

Lucy laughed, nodding.

Soon the other two were demanding to know who she compared them to and she took a step back, afraid to respond in case they took it the wrong way. She looked at Laxus for help who grinned at her before asking who he seemed most like.

Lucy sighed, "I really don't think you guys want to know my answer."

"No way, you brought it up, Blondie, and you've already told Bickslow his comparison. It's only fair that the rest of us know too," Laxus teased.

"Well," Lucy started. "Okay, but don't get mad if you don't like who I compare you to."

She pointed at each one in turn, giving them the person they seemed most like and the reason why she felt that way. She was surprised when each one seem to take it with ease, contemplating it instead of lashing out at her about it. The group fell silent as they walked, each lost in what Lucy had told them.

* * *

Laxus grinned as he walked, noticing how relieved Lucy seemed. She probably had thought they were going to go off on her because of her comparisons, but really his group wasn't like that. They would think about it, and then if they didn't like it, they would start trying to change. He had been most surprised when she compared him to Titania. Honestly, Laxus had expected Evergreen to get that comparison, but Lucy didn't go by physicality or what their magic was, going instead for how they interacted with one another. His girlfriend had impressed him.

Freed finally spoke up after a while.

"If everyone has an assigned role, then who would you be in our little entourage?" He asked.

Lucy laughed at that, "Well, either Happy or Wendy I guess, though I don't really see myself as either."

"Wendy!" Bickslow and Evergreen said at the same time before turning to glare at each other.

Laxus inwardly agreed. She was definitely younger than the rest of them and she seemed to think that her magic couldn't do much compared to theirs. Like Wendy, she felt she had to prove herself to her new team.

"Wendy?" Lucy asked in surprise, clearly assuming they would chose Happy.

"Wendy," Freed said in a voice that broke no arguments.

Lucy grinned at them, "Okay then."

The team continued on for a while longer in silence before Laxus stepped off to the side, taking Lucy's small hand in his own. She looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting him to do that. He smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head gently.

"He'll do that," Freed said as he walked by. "He's much more relaxed when he only has us around."

Evergreen nodded and Bickslow winked as they also passed the couple.

Laxus chuckled, "They mean well, really."

"I know," She said, smiling back at the big man.

He smiled down at her, leaning closer to her, "I meant what I said earlier, Lucy. But if you insist on staying with me anyways there are things you're going to have to learn about me."

"I look forward to it," She answered, her eyes sparkling with the challenge.

He laughed and pulled her along behind his team.

* * *

"So what is this job we're doing anyways?" Lucy asked about an hour later. "And where is it?"

Evergreen sighed, "No kidding. My feet are killing me. Freed, you said it was a short journey."

"By train, it's a very short journey," He answered. "It's about two days on foot."

"Two days?" The girls yelled in unison, glaring at him.

"Well, it was walk or allow Laxus to be sick the whole journey."

Lucy sighed, "If you would have told me, I have pills that he can take to fix that."

Laxus nodded, "They work really well, too."

Lucy groaned inwardly, two days was a long walk no matter who she was with. This was going to feel like an eternity. She looked up at her boyfriend, wondering what they were going to do about sleeping arrangements and if anyone had even thought to pack blankets or sleeping bags.

Freed sighed, "We might as well make camp here for the night, since the sun is starting to set. If you would like tomorrow we can head for the nearest train station and ride the rest of the way. I was unaware that they made pills for Laxus's specific type of motion sickness or I would have suggested that we do that in the first place."

Lucy sat in the clearing they had found and explained to Freed about Wendy turning her spell into pills for Natsu that they usually had her hold onto. Lisanna had one bottle and she had the other. Freed nodded, listening intently, asking her questions here and there about the spell that they would use. She explained that Wendy had made different dosages because Natsu was slowly becoming immune to her spell, even in pill form, but that Laxus should still be okay to use the low dosage that she carried with her since he'd only used one pill and had never had the spell cast on him. After going through all the question he could think of, Freed finally nodded in approval.

"I think it will do very well. It will definitely help when we have far to go. We won't have to walk and we won't have to ride the train while Laxus turns himself into Lightening, keeping up for as long as he can," Freed finally stated.

Lucy nodded as the other's joined them around the fire. Laxus looked around the circle before sighing finally.

"Ever, would you share a tent with Lucy?" He asked. "Bickslow, you and Freed can bunk together."

Evergreen looked at him in surprise, "I thought you and Lucy would be sharing a tent."

The couple blushed, looking down at the fire.

"I mean, I don't mind. I had just assumed -" Evergreen cut herself off, embarrassed.

"It's okay, Evergreen," Lucy replied, wrapping an arm around the girl. "Laxus and I are just taking things slow and I think he's worried that if I share a tent with him things might get... heated."

* * *

Laxus growled in his girlfriend's direction. He was worried about no such thing, in fact he was looking forward to that point in their relationship, but for now he had assumed that she would have been more comfortable in Evergreen's tent than his own.

"Never mind, Ever," Laxus said after a moment. "I think I can sufficiently control myself that Lucy will be safe from anything untoward happening to her."

Laxus looked at her with a challenging gleam in his eyes and he didn't miss the answering one in her own. He had a feeling that tonight was going to be a lot of fun. They missed the amused looks the rest of their group were sharing.


	20. Tent Discussions

**Warning: Contains... some sexual content. You are warned ;)**

Lucy curled up beside her boyfriend, snuggling close to him. He grinned down at her, kissing her forehead gently.

"Now what was that about me being worried?" He teased.

She grinned at him, "Well, I thought that might get your attention."

He chuckled softly, "Lucy Heartfilia, I think you might have a little bit of mischief in you."

She winked but didn't reply, running a finger down his scar.

"So was there something you wanted to talk about today, Laxus?" She asked, going serious.

He sobered and eyed her warily, "Why do you ask?"

She frowned at him, "Don't think I don't recall the words you told me in the guild and then down the road, mister."

Laxus shifted uneasily, this was not something that he thought they would be talking about. He had actually thought that there would be less talking and more... exploring, but he saw the determined glint in her eye and sighed, pulling her closer to him.

"I'm just worried about us being together. I don't want to hurt you, Lucy," He admitted.

She awkwardly wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm a big girl, Laxus. Don't you worry about me," She answered, kissing him.

He bent his head and captured her lips with his own, refusing to let go until they were both breathless and she was a little dizzy. He smirked as they pulled away and she let out a breathless 'wow.' He kissed her neck gently as she pressed against him, letting out a quiet moan. He bit her neck gently, then pulled away, his blood racing through him.

* * *

Lucy looked up in shock, wondering why he had pulled away. He chuckled a little before kissing her gently, pulling away again before the heat could race through their veins.

"Laxus," She half-whined. "It's not very nice to tease a girl."

He laughed at that, "I thought you wanted to talk, Luce."

She moaned, "That can wait."

He grinned at her face and shifted them so that he was hovering above her, his arms propping him up so he didn't squish her under his weight. She blushed lightly as he led kisses down her neck, starting where he left off. Her arms went instinctively to his arms, clawing at his shoulders as he bit down on her neck.

Warmth pooled through her as her fingers traced down his back, grabbing the hem of his shirt, and pulling it off him in one swift move. She squirmed under him, wanting to touch more of him as he tugged at her shirt in return. She giggled softly, surprising him by sitting up and shaking a finger at him when he tried to tug it off.

Laxus sat back on his heels, watching her with his head cocked to one side, and Lucy had to stifle a laugh at how adorable he looked like that. Slowly she began to unbutton her shirt, allowing it to slide down and then off her as she finished undoing the last button. Laxus looked up at her, hopefully and she smirked a little before shaking her head at him. He huffed a little as he took in the creamy skin under the white lacy bra that barely contained anything.

She grinned at him before reaching around and unhooking it, allowing it to slide down, exposing her chest completely. She just had time to register the hungry look on Laxus's face before she found herself on her back again with his lips pressed against her urgently.

* * *

Laxus was surprised at how much he had been enjoying the show. Most girls just gave it up to him so easily, willing to lay there and let him do whatever. Not Lucy, though. He was loving the fact that she had a little kink in her as well. He fidgeted, wanting so badly to touch her as she undressed herself. Then she lost the bra and his brain quit functioning properly. He kissed her deeply, running his hands over her chest, tugging on them as he began his trail of hot kisses down her neck, not stopping until he reached her stomach.

He looked up at her, her face was slack as moans filled the tent. Slowly he reached a hand down and felt the wetness that was gathering on her panties. He grinned up at her before tugging them off and flinging them across the tent.

* * *

Lucy's eyes flew open the moment she felt his fingers working their way into her. She was enjoying it, but was she ready? A million questions and protests flew threw her mind. What if this didn't last? What if he dumped her after this? They hadn't been together for that long. Would he think she was easy? What would he say when he figured out it was first? Would he hate her?

Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes and Laxus looked up in alarm, stopping immediately and moving up to her.

"Did I hurt you?" He demanded, afraid that he had unknowingly done something to his beloved.

She shook her head, trying to stop the tears, "No, it's not that."

"What's wrong, Lucy? Please, talk to me," He stroked her hair, kissing her gently.

She looked away, embarrassed now.

"Do you want to stop?" He asked gently.

Lucy nodded, afraid to speak.

"Okay," He answered, kissing her forehead. "We'll stop then."

Lucy looked up in surprise.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, looking down at her hands.

* * *

Laxus handed his shirt to her, unsure of where hers had run off to once she had taken it off.

"It's okay. If you want to stop that's all you have to say, Luce. I know this is new for you, so we'll go however fast or slow you want."

Lucy looked at him in awe as she slipped his shirt over her head.

"But what about you?" She asked.

He shrugged, "I can take care of myself."

Seeing her alarmed look he quickly added, "By myself."

Lucy sighed after that, feeling better, though still a little worried. Laxus sighed and pulled her to him as they laid down.

He didn't know much about how girls felt, but he knew one thing: He would do whatever it took to keep his girl happy. Right now she was afraid, he wasn't sure of what, because he could tell by the look in her eyes and the way she kept shifting next to him that it wasn't the act of sex that she was worried about. No, it was something else. Something that pertained to the act, but not the act itself. Silently he vowed to discuss it with her the next time he had a chance.

Right now, however, they were both to tired to discuss whatever it was that was bothering her.


	21. A Surprising Ally

**AN: Okay, so I really meant for this to be more about the train ride and the job itself, but I just felt that I've spent a lot of time describing Laxus and Lucy's relationship and she really hasn't interacted with anyone from Thunder Legion, so I thought I would write a little about that, and well, I got a little carried away and next thing I knew I'd written way more than I meant to. *sheepish grin* well, I guess you guys will just have to wait until the next chapter.**

Laxus woke up to find the Celestial Spirit Mage curled up in his arms, her hair spilling in every direction. He smiled down at her, wondering what she could be dreaming about as he gently ran a finger along her arm. Even now, just watching her, he could feel himself falling for the sweet blonde. He sighed, hearing stirrings outside his tent, and gently shook Lucy awake. He wished he could have let her sleep longer, but he knew if they stayed in their tent for too much longer rumors would start between his three friends. As it was, he was sure he could hear Bickslow and Evergreen whispering to each other. One big brown eye opened at looked at him, before squeezing itself shut again and he chuckled.

"I know, not a morning person," He whispered in her ear. "But unless you want rumors of what happened between us last night to spread like wildfire then you might want to get up and greet the day."

She groaned, "They wouldn't dare."

"They dare to do a lot, even when I am around to stop them," Laxus laughed.

Lucy sighed and finally open both eyes.

"Fine, I'll get up, but only if you promise that I can get five minutes alone in here to change and fix this mess I call hair," She said, pretending to pout.

"It's a deal," He said, kissing her softly before stepping out into the pre-lit dawn.

Evergreen and Bickslow were, in fact, conferring in low voices as Freed began cooking breakfast. Evergreen's face brightened when she saw Laxus, then fell a little when she realized that Lucy wasn't right behind him.

Laxus chuckled, taking a seat next to the fairy woman, "Don't worry, Ever. Luce requested a few moments of alone time to make herself more presentable to the team. She'll be along shortly."

Evergreen huffed, "I wasn't worried."

The trio of men ignored her as Freed began to pass out plates of hot food. Lucy stepped out only moments later and Bickslow couldn't quite manage to stifle his laughter.

"Natsu wasn't lying when he said you had a nose for food," The Seith Mage teased.

Lucy blushed, sitting beside Laxus and quietly thanking Freed as he handed her a plate of warm food.

* * *

Lucy looked around as she ate, surprised at how tranquil the morning had started. Never before had she been able to sit around a fire and actually eat her meal. Most of the time it was grabbing a quick bite on the road, if they had time, and then they were off again. Watching how Laxus's team operated made Lucy long for something similar in her own team. The Thunder Legion worked together, each person doing their own to pitch in.

She was surprised to see Bickslow walking beside her as they started out. Laxus had walked ahead to talk to Freed and Evergreen was occupied with her thoughts, leaving the two alone.

"My turn," Bickslow said, grinning cheekily at her.

"You're turn for what?" She asked, cautiously.

"To talk to you. Evergreen got to hog you most of the day yesterday and what you didn't spend with her you spent with our fearless leader. Today it's my turn," He answered, sticking his tongue out in his signature gesture.

Lucy cocked her head to one side, curious as to what the youngest member of Thunder Legion would want to talk to her about. Especially since they weren't very much alike.

"What would you want to talk about?"

"One, Laxus. Two, your spirits," He answered, ticking them off his fingers as he talked.

The first one didn't surprise Lucy in the least. She was sure that he, like Evergreen, was going to warn her not to break the Dragon Slayer's heart. Which she had no intention of doing. The second one, however, completely baffled her. Why would Bickslow want to talk to her about her spirits? It seemed strange, but she inclined her head, willing to listen.

"I already know about Laxus. 'Don't break his heart' right?" She asked.

"Actually, I was going to say, don't let him break your heart. Laxus adores you, but he tends to run away from serious commitment. Don't let him, it would really break both of your hearts if you did."

She looked at him in surprise. Of all the people she had expected something like that from, Bickslow was definitely not even on the list. The happy go-lucky mage had just never really seemed mature enough to understand something like that before. Lucy was surprised to find herself looking at him in a whole new light.

"Now, that's out of the way, what I really wanted was to question you about your magic," Bickslow grinned causing her to grin back.

"What about it?" She asked, swinging her arms as they walked.

"Well, your spirits are like people, right? And they have souls and personalities?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes. That's why each one seems so unique."

He grinned, "It's just good to see that someone uses magic similar to mine. The others don't really get why I get upset when my babies get hurt. To them they're just animated objects, but they're not. They really do have souls and their own personalities. Like you're spirits."

"I understand. A lot of Celestial Spirit mages have forgotten that our spirits can feel, too. They treat them like shields and weapons and don't stop to worry about if their spirit is hurting or over-exerted. Maybe they're not the same as your babies, but I think I understand how you feel. Each one is special to you in it's own way. They're not really your servants so much as your friends. Your_ family_," Lucy passionately replied.

* * *

Laxus looked back at his girlfriend with the same surprised look that he could see on Bickslow's face. He had always known she was a passionate person who cared about her spirits, but to actually hear her talk about them, to see that fierce love and loyalty in her eyes, was amazing to him. His heart swelled. Bickslow was right, he didn't really get their kind of magic because it was so different from his own, but he could see how much it meant to them. Suddenly he felt bad for all of the times he had teased Bickslow for getting upset whenever one of his 'babies' was injured.

Bickslow was still staring at Lucy, his mouth slightly agape and Laxus could tell Lucy was getting a little nervous as she hedged closer to where he was talking to Freed.

"_Yes_!" Bickslow shouted, as if her movement had woken him up. "That's it exactly!"

The whole group jumped a little at his shout and Lucy smiled happily at him.

"I knew you'd get it, Lula, I just knew it," Bickslow said, wrapping an arm around her.

* * *

Lucy froze for half-a-second, one that she was sure Laxus didn't miss.

_Lula? Everyone calls me Luce. Well, Levy calls me Lulu, but Lula?_ She thought.

The group arrived at the station just then and Lucy used it as an excuse to quietly ask Bickslow why he'd chosen Lula for her nickname.

"It's what Levster always calls you, right?" Bickslow asked.

"Levster?" Lucy asked, bewildered.

"He had his own nicknames for everyone," Evergreen explained. "Levster is Levy. Lax-y is Laxus. Freed is referred to as Smartie. I'm either Beautiful or E-Green, depending on his mood. Lisanna is Lissy. And it looks like he's settled on LuLa for you."

Lucy giggled, "Actually,_ Levy_ calls me Lulu, Bickslow."

"I like Lula better," The man answered, grinning. "And you can call me Bics if you want. No need to use my full name unless you're Freed or you're mad at me."

Lucy laughed as the train pulled in, looking up to see Laxus standing next to her.

"May I please have my girlfriend back?" He asked, slightly annoyed at how chummy Bickslow was getting with her.

Bickslow mock bowed, "Be my guest."

* * *

Laxus was surprised at how annoyed he was with Bickslow. Part of him was thrilled that Lucy had found someone she could relate to on his team, but another part was irritated that it had to be Bickslow. Freed and Evergreen he could have understood, but Bickslow? He inwardly sighed at the thought of her spending so much time with the man. Though he wasn't acting like it, Bickslow was a huge pervert and Laxus was worried that he might try something on Lucy.

He knew better, really he did, but that didn't stop the jealousy that was coursing through him like rage. He tugged Lucy onto the train, opening the first available private carriage and slamming it shut behind him. Both of them missed the looks of concern that were exchanged between the remaining trio as Lucy looked at him in shock.

"You okay, Lax?" She whispered, touching his face gently.

Now that the others were out of sight Laxus relaxed, feeling foolish for his overreaction. The whole point of bringing Lucy along was for her to get to know his team and for them to get to know her. That was going to happen if he was always trying to horde her to himself and pry her away from them whenever they were starting to get close. He rubbed his face and sat down across from her.

"I'm sorry about that, Lucy. I shouldn't have behaved like that. I don't know what got into me," He apologized, sighing heavily.

Lucy smiled, "It's alright, Laxus. Just next time you decide to do that, forewarn me. You had me worried."

He smiled back and kissed her forehead, "Don't worry. I don't plan on doing it again."

She laughed, "Good. Now, could you tell me what this job is we're doing? Everyone seems to know except me, which is totally unfair."

Laxus frowned, "You know, now that you mention it - I don't know what it is either."


	22. Thunder Legion Job

Lucy started laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face and only laughed harder when Laxus frowned at her.

"Mind letting me in on whatever is so funny?" He finally asked.

She grinned, "Only that it seems like the only people who do know what the actual job is are locked outside our door. Do you think they all know or just Freed?"

Laxus sat there, a little stunned for a moment. Lucy was right, he had locked the others out in his annoyance with Bickslow and they needed the other three in there to discuss the job and their strategy. He slumped into his seat for a moment before standing and opening the door to go search for his missing team members.

"Where are you going?" Lucy called.

"Gotta get the others in here. We need to discuss this whole thing after all," Laxus replied. "You stay here. I don't need to find them only to find that you've wandered off as well."

Lucy nodded as Laxus closed the door gently behind him.

He found his team a few moments later sitting in the couch section. He watched them for a moment, wondering if they were discussing his behavior from earlier. He really didn't want to closer for fear that they were and his hearing would pick it up. He knew, however, that he was going to have to if he wanted to get them to come back to the room with him. Before he could make the conscious decision to walk toward them, however, Freed looked up and noticed him standing there.

"Laxus-Sama," Freed called, waving the big man toward him. "We should discuss the job."

Laxus nodded, "That's actually why I'm here. Lucy and I realize we have no idea what the job even is. If you guys wouldn't mind, we would like you all to come back to the carriage with me and we can sit and discuss it there in private."

The three stood nodding.

"Only if you promise not to go all Hulk on us again," Bickslow teased, earning glares from the other three.

* * *

Lucy was surprised at how quickly Laxus returned, the remaining members in tow. She had been certain that it would take a lot longer than it did to find and convince them to come back to the carriage with him. Here they were, however. Evergreen took a seat beside Lucy while the boys sat across from them.

"So what exactly is this job we're going on?" Lucy asked after everyone had gotten settled in.

Freed and Bickslow shifted, sharing an uncomfortable look.

"Well, see, people in the village we're going to have been disappearing and the mayor has asked someone to investigate it," Bickslow stated after a moment.

"That doesn't sound so bad," She replied, smiling.

"What's the catch?" Laxus growled, noticing their fidgeting.

Freed sighed, "There might not be one. We just thought it was a good thing to bring both Evergreen and Lucy along because the description actually says that women have been going missing. We thought with two, our chances of actually finding something might be higher."

Lucy and Evergreen shared an annoyed look. Once again they were going to have to be bait. Lucy was really tired of always being the bait, it got old really quick. She sighed, looking back out the window.

"So I take it we'll be talking to the mayor when we get there to find out just what is going on," Lucy sighed. "Other than the fact that women are disappearing."

Freed nodded, "Right. Hopefully he'll be able to give us more information than that."

The group fell silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts for the remainder of the short journey. Soon they were pulling into the station and they looked up in surprise. Lucy was surprised at how much time had passed.

* * *

Laxus sighed and stretched as they pulled into the station. Even with Wendy's magic pills he would still rather be walking than using any form of transportation. He studied his group for a moment before assigning Evergreen and Bickslow the job of securing them rooms while Freed, Lucy, and himself went to talk to the mayor. Normally he would have told Lucy to go with the other two, not wanting any creepy mayor to be around his girlfriend, but with the way he was feeling today it might be a good idea to have her gentle touch in case his temper frayed.

Freed was a great diplomat and could usually handle such things himself, since Laxus tended to be short and direct when he talked to people. Laxus had a feeling that this time they would need a woman's gentleness in this talk and he always let his instinct guide him when it came to his jobs.

He allowed Freed to lead the way through the town, knowing the small green-haired man would know where to go. He wordlessly slipped his hand into Lucy's, keeping her tucked firmly beside him as he noticed how few women were about and how some of the men were eyeing her. He wanted to electrocute every single one of them for leering at her, but he restrained himself, knowing that it would just make things bad for them later when they needed the villagers cooperation. Instead he wrapped his coat tightly around her, causing her to look up in surprise.

"Keep it on," He said out of the corner of his mouth, barely nodding in the direction of those that were eyeing her.

* * *

Lucy looked around and noticed, for the first time, how many men were openly staring at her like she was a piece of meat. She hoped that Evergreen wasn't having the same problem back at the hotel. She was going to shrug out of the coat before remembering what she was wearing and pulled the coat closer around her body. Perhaps a mini-skirt that didn't even reach her knees and a halter top that opened in the back was not the best outfit choice for today.

She was thankful when they finally reached the Mayor's home and were allowed inside. At least in there the amount of men that were ogling her was reduced to the butler, the mayor, and the mayor's assistant. She could live with that, though, judging by the look on his face, she was sure that Laxus was going to be able to. Even with his coat wrapped around her she still looked hot, especially to men who haven't seen a beautiful woman in quite some time.

"Thank you all for coming out," The Mayor said, shaking their hands. "It means a lot to all of us. We just cannot function with our beloved womenfolk gone."

"Mr..." Freed trailed off, unsure of what to call the short, stocky man in front of them.

"Oh, just call me Marketh," The man answered with a wave of his hand. "There's no need to be formal when you lovely trio are going to stop these kidnappings."

"Actually, there's two more of us," Laxus replied as they sat. "They are securing our rooms right now, but I'm sure you'll meet them at a later date."

"Of course, of course."

"Marketh, then. Could you possibly tell us more about what's going on here?" Freed asked politely. "I understand that the women of the town are being abducted, but by what? or whom? When? And when did these kidnappings start? These are things we need to know in order to start our investigation."

"It started about a month ago and it started with my wife. The day was a normal one, work, playing with her and our children, dinner, a nice movie, then we sent the children to bed and had some alone time. Later, Amrine got up, to use the bathroom or get something to drink I assume, but she never came back to bed. She was just gone. Every night since then another girl has disappeared. All in the middle of the night. All with no warning. We've tried everything from watching to see where they go to barring them in their rooms - somehow they manage to escape and give us the slip. We're desperate now."

"You mentioned children," Lucy said after a moment. "Where are they now?"

Marketh hung his head, sadly, "I had the misfortune of having three daughters. They're all gone too. Whatever it is, it doesn't discriminate by age or looks. Almost every girl from the youngest baby to the oldest crone has been taken."

* * *

Laxus jaw tightened. More than anything he wanted to grab Evergreen and Lucy and run. He wanted to get them out of this town, but he knew that wasn't possible. They had a job to do now and just because he was worried they would be next didn't mean that he could up and leave these people now. He could feel Freed's eyes on him and he knew the Rune Mage was worried that Laxus would do exactly what he was thinking of doing.

The conversation flowed around him but he quit paying attention, knowing that the two with him would fill him in on any details he missed. He was pondering the best way to go about this. Thinking was not Laxus's strong suit, though, and he couldn't figure out how a person could manage to just vanish like the women here seem to have done. Lucy's hand felt warm and small in his own and he worried that she would be taken before they figured it out. Looking down at the beautiful girl he knew that if she was taken he would move Heaven and Earthland to find her.

The realization that Freed had probably chosen this job for just that reason hit him and rage boiled through him. He understood the risks of taking Lucy out on any job with the Thunder Legion and he accepted them. He did not accept that his girlfriend could, and probably would, be used as bait. As soon as they had left the mayor's home he whirled, still keeping a tight grip on Lucy's hand, and glared at the Rune Mage.

"You knew, didn't you?" He demanded as they walked.

"Knew what?" Freed and Lucy asked at the same time.

Laxus looked between the two before turning back to Freed.

"You knew that Lucy and Evergreen could be potentially used as bait to draw this thing out. You knew that could happen when you took the quest. That's why you've been so tight lipped about the whole thing."

Freed sighed and looked between the couple, Laxus's face containing the barely control rage he felt and Lucy's expressing sympathy and understanding.

"Yes," Freed finally answered. "I knew that it was a possibility, Laxus. If this thing is really kidnapping women then Lucy and Evergreen are our best chance at finding it. You know this, you just don't want to accept it."

* * *

Lucy could feel Laxus trembling beside her and she was worried for a moment. Then Laxus sighed and seemed to let go of his anger. She exhaled and only then realized that she'd been holding her breath.

"You're right, Freed. I just don't like the idea," Laxus said.

Freed nodded, wondering if it hadn't been Lucy that was potentially in danger if Laxus would have cared nearly as much. He kept that thought to himself however, knowing how thin the ice he was on was now.

Lucy came to his rescue, "Lax, don't worry. Besides, Natsu has been eyeing this job for days. If we hadn't taken it then I'm sure he would have and I would be here anyway."

Freed shot her a grateful look and Lucy winked at him. She wasn't sure how much of what she had said was true, but she knew that she needed to calm her boyfriend down before they reached the hotel. Thankfully, the words seemed to do the trick and he calmed even further, almost back to his normal self.

Lucy just hoped there were no more surprises in store for them.

* * *

**AN: Tada! Now everyone finally knows what's going on ;)**


	23. Kidnapped

**AN: Me? Write in surprises? Never. *fake shock* Also since I'm down to writing only 2 stories again I'm probably going to be starting another one soon. I have a poll in my profile as to pairings, you should totally go vote ;)**

* * *

They reached the hotel soon after to find Bickslow and Evergreen waiting impatiently for them. Lucy was surprised to see Evergreen wearing a long sleeve green T-shirt and jeans with boots and almost questioned it before remembering the looks she had received around the town and was no longer surprised by the fairy's foresight.

"Did you get us rooms?" Laxus asked, noticing how nervous they looked.

Bickslow nodded, "Well, a room really. The manager didn't want us to destroy any more property than what was necessary so one room for all of us is all he was willing to give up."

"That's fine. We'll have to stay up and watch for signs anyways. Lucy and Evergreen, you two should get some sleep while the rest of us come up with a plan of attack. We have no idea when this thing shows or what it even is, so be suspicious of everything and everyone. I have a feeling that before the night is out we'll all need to be well rested."

The others nodded and they headed up to the room. Laxus almost growled with irritation when he saw it. Two beds, shoved across the room from each other, and a stand were all that the room contained. A small door to one side lead into a tiny bathroom with a stand-up shower, a toilet, and a sink. The only natural light came from a dirty window above one of the beds. He settled their bags off to the side, sighing.

* * *

Lucy felt uneasy as she curled up in one of the beds with Evergreen. Freed and Bickslow had the bed nearest the window while Laxus laid in front of the door, using his duffel bag as a pillow. She smiled softly at him, watching as he drifted into sleep. It was strange, but everyone seemed to fall asleep so easily except her. Just as she was starting to drift asleep, she heard it - A soft humming sound that seemed to surround her whole body.

She looked around, but no one else seemed to notice it. Dusk had just fallen and she could see that the others were beginning to stir. Relief flooded through her, knowing that nothing could happen to her if the others were awake to protect her. She sighed happily as the humming grew louder for a moment, then faded away.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Evergreen mumbled sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hear what?" The boys asked.

"That humming? Oh yeah, it was awful," Lucy answered.

"Hmm... must have just been me," Evergreen answered, completely ignoring Lucy.

"Wait, what do you mean, I heard it, too! Hey, don't just ignore me," Lucy yelled as Evergreen got up and walked into the bathroom.

A few seconds later Laxus looked around in bewilderment.

"Guys, where's Lucy?" He demanded.

"Hey, that's not funny. I'm right here," She yelled.

"Actually, you're not," A voice chuckled from behind her.

Lucy whirled as the room faded around her. She sat in a dark room with cement walls and floor, looking up at a man with dark purple hair and bright green eyes. Other women laid in various states of consciousness around the room, each one of them with one arm chained to the wall. As she stood a chain reached on and locked firmly around one of her own wrists.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"You're captor, of course, but you can call me Cassius," He replied with a bow before circling around the blonde. "My but aren't you quite an acquisition. When I sent out my music, I hadn't expected there to be such a treasure left."

"Why are you doing this?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, that's easy. You see, there's a black market for women of all ages and types. Each man to his own, I guess. You, I think, will fetch a pretty penny, and how nice when the latest shipment has to be sent out in a couple of days."

Lucy glared at the man as he circled around her, still eyeing her. More than ever she wished for Laxus's coat to cover herself as the man eyed her with obvious lust.

"However, I might just keep you for myself for a little while. My latest toy is starting to bore me after all," He grinned, tugging on a rope.

A blonde similar in age to Lucy stumbled forward, wiping her tear streaked face. Her hair tumbled about her in a mess as she lowered her green eyes. Once she might have been considered beautiful, but with the mottle of bruises that scattered her almost naked figure, all Lucy could do was pity the woman. Lucy reached for her keys before remembering that she had set them on top of Laxus's jacket before laying down. She sank to the floor, feeling helpless. Without her keys, what could she possibly do against such a man? He grinned at her.

"I'll let you rest for now. I know my music can bring disorientation and dizziness. I really don't need you to pass out when I claim you for my own," Cassius told her, walking away with the flick of a hand.

Lucy allowed her tears to fall then. What was she to do? Would the team even know where to begin looking for her?

* * *

Laxus tore through the hotel room, looking for his beloved. After a quick search of the small room he sat down heavily on the bed.

"I don't understand how someone could just disappear. None of us saw or heard her leave and there's no way she could have left without us knowing," He growled, his head in his hands.

Evergreen patted his back gently, "We'll find her Laxus. Thunder Legion will not rest until we do."

Laxus nodded, grateful.

"Where do we even start?" Freed asked after a moment.

"I think I can be of service in that department," A new voice answered them, causing them all to whirl in alarm.

Loke stood there, looking sadly at the spot where Lucy had lain only moments ago.

"Loke," Laxus said, chillingly.

"I know - why don't I go to her, right? Simply put - I can't. Whoever it was that kidnapped her has a spell over the place. The only magic that can come in through transport is his. Anyone and anything else has to physically walk in before the magic can be used. So needless to say, I can't just appear and rescue her like I normally do."

The trio looked at him bewildered.

"Then what, exactly, can you do to help?" Laxus demanded, wanting more than anything to be out there looking for Lucy.

"I can tell you that it was a type of teleportation magic that took my dearest Lucy," Loke answered, ignoring Laxus's growl. "And that the magic has a distinct signature. If Freed were to write runes or Bickslow would set his babies to tracking it, the magic would be easy to follow."

"Couldn't you just track it?" Evergreen spoke up.

"I could," The spirit acknowledge. "But then I would be of no use to Lucy when we reached there and tried to free them."

'Them?" Laxus's head shot up.

"The other girls are there, too. I can sense them. If you want my help in this battle - and believe me, you'll want it - I'm afraid I cannot track them. As soon as you break the spell over the place I will be there, however. I will go back to my plane and rest. Please, save my dear Lucy," He looked directly at Laxus as he spoke.

Laxus nodded, too tired to argue with the stubborn spirit about who exactly it was that Lucy had chosen. He looked over at Freed, who was already working on writing Runes that would trace the magic back to it's source.

"How long do you think it will take?" He asked.

"An hour, maybe two, depending on how complicated his magic is," The Rune Mage replied before looking up at Laxus.

* * *

The Thunder Legion watched as their leader paced the room. The Dragon Slayer looked like hell as he held Lucy's keys in his hands. None of them said anything, but secretly each of them wondered if it was a good idea to take the man with them when they went to rescue Lucy. Evergreen silently hoped that Lucy was okay, if not for the girl's own sake than for the sake of the man who kidnapped her. Laxus would snap if Lucy had been harmed and she was entirely sure that he would be the only one.

None of them would admit it, but in the short time that she had been with them Lucy had become like family - and the team would do anything for their family. _Anything._


	24. Finding Lucy

**AN: Thanks for all the votes so far. I'm leaving the poll open until I finish my story ****Reflections**** (which will be any day now) then I will start my new one with Lucy and whoever the lucky winner may be. ;) But don't worry - this story will still be continued.**

* * *

Lucy watched Cassius pace the room, wishing for the world that Laxus would show up and rescue her. She knew that was not likely to happen, given that they had yet to figure out what was going on even. She shifted, wondering why her captor seemed so on edge.

"So," She finally spoke, startling the man. "Can you explain something to me?"

"What?" He asked, eyeing her warily.

"How does your magic work? I've been trying to puzzle it out for the last - well, however long it's been since you captured me - and I just can't seem to."

He grinned, "Neat trick, huh? It's actually really easy. My magic is music and vibrations. Have you ever heard the story of the Pied Piper?"

Lucy nodded, "Of course."

"That's me," He said, proudly pointing at himself. "Well, it's what I do. Like the Piper my music calls to people - instead of children, I call women - when they're body answers the call then the magic gets in them and can transport them away. Sometimes they just follow the music like a zombie, but some women can be pretty strong and those ones have to be literally transported by the magic. That's why I like you so much, my dear. You're strong."

Lucy eyed him, if he wasn't trying to sell her - or worse - she might have been fascinated by this man with brilliant green eyes and deep purple hair. As it was, he still managed to capture her imagination. She shifted away from him, longing for Laxus.

* * *

Laxus paced the room, waiting for Freed to finish his work as Bickslow watched his leader. Never before had anyone seen Laxus as worked up as he was now. Even when he tried to take Fairy Tail by force, back when he seemed to hate everyone, he hadn't been this worked up. Evergreen slipped back into the room when Laxus had his back turned and sat next to Bickslow.

"Has he said anything?" She whispered.

He shook his head, "Not a word. I'm pretty sure that whoever took Lucy is dead when we find him."

Evergreen nodded, "If he doesn't kill the bastard, I will."

"Any luck getting through to the guild?"

After Freed had started working his runes the other two had agreed that contacting the guild would probably be the best course of action. Laxus was in position to argue and they knew that the Master would want to know right away that his more than likely future granddaughter had been taken.

Evergreen sighed, "I managed to get ahold of Erza of all people. She said she'd tell Master, but I'm sure Titania and her little crew are on their way here now."

Laxus whirled at that, "They're coming here?"

Evergreen shrugged, "More than likely."

Laxus paled. He had to find Lucy before Mira or Erza arrived or else he knew that he would also be a dead man come morning. Thankfully, Freed stood just then and informed them that the magic was complete. Laxus flung open the door and ushered everyone out.

"Lead the way," He said, stepping back to allow the small mage through.

Freed nodded his thanks and began follow the path that only he could see.

* * *

Lucy sat in the dark. Cassius had gone for a while and she was taking the moment to take stock of her situation. She knew that if Virgo or Loke could have gotten to her they would have by now, which meant that the room was somehow enchanted to keep them out. The Thunder Legion knew she was gone, but she didn't know if they had yet figured out a way to find her. She sighed heavily, somehow she was going to have to get herself out of this situation, which wasn't something that she was used to anymore.

First thing, she had to find a way to get out of this stupid chain around her wrist. She looked around for some way to open the lock, but saw nothing that could be helpful. The floor was cleared of everything, even rocks, and the closest person to her was still far outside of her reach. The only one allowed to move about freely was Adaline, which was the name of Cassius's current 'pet'. Even then she could only move as far as the chain around her ankle would allow her, which was only to the entrance and back.

Lucy studied the girl that she would be replacing if things didn't go well. She seemed so frail and broken, which made Lucy wonder if she had also been considered strong or if she had always been the weak girl she was now. She wasn't sure which she hoped for the girl, but she hoped that Adaline would be strong enough to survive whatever happened next.

"Adaline?" She called into the darkness, wondering if the girl would answer.

_Strange that I keep thinking of her as a young girl when she's probably the same age as I am._

The blonde woman came into view then, looking down at Lucy with a mixture of sympathy and fear.

"Yes?" She asked, timidly.

"Can you sit by me and talk to me for a bit?" Lucy smiled softly up at her. "I'm afraid I'm not used to the silence and that scares me more than Cassius does."

Adaline sat next to her, giving her an incredulous look. Lucy bit her lip, knowing the girl probably thought she was crazy for being less afraid of Cassius than everyone else. She couldn't tell the blonde that after everything she'd been through a little mage like Cassius was not intimidating in the least. Instead she started to ask Adaline about her life before coming here. Lucy learned that the girl had been a baker back in the village, engaged to a young man who worked in a candy shop. Now she was afraid that her fiancé wouldn't want her back after what Cassius had done to her.

Lucy wrapped her arms around the girl, hugging her close.

"If he doesn't want you back then he's an idiot," Lucy said, fiercely. "What happened here was_ not_ your fault. There was nothing you could have done to stop it and if he thinks otherwise then he never deserved you in the first place."

Adaline looked at Lucy with a small smile.

* * *

The Thunder Legion followed Freed to a small cave outside of town. Laxus didn't need the Rune Mage to tell him that Lucy was inside, he could hear her voice from the entrance of the cave. He could tell that whatever she was saying was obviously very important to her by the tone of her voice and a small smile ghosted his lips.

"Freed, can you dispel the barrier to allow Lucy's spirits through?" He asked, staring into the cave.

The mage nodded, "I believe so. You guys go on ahead, when it's dispelled I'll catch up."

Laxus shot Freed a grateful look before running in, Evergreen and Bickslow right on his heels. He sniffed the air as he listened for Lucy, who had fallen quiet. Picking up her scent, he ran with it, allowing it to guide him toward the back of the cave where a bunch of women huddled in corners, chains wrapped around one wrist.

"Evergreen?" He called to the brunette who nodded, using a smaller form of her Fairy Bombs on the locks, breaking them open.

"Laxus?" Lucy called out from darkness and he whirled around, looking for the busty blonde.

"Lucy, keep talking," He answered, summoning just enough of his lightening magic so that it illuminated the room.

Huddled in a corner sat his girlfriend, blonde hair mussed and dirt streaking one cheek where it had been resting on the head of another blonde who looked similar to Lucy. He was relieved to see her unharmed, looking angry and a little embarrassed. He didn't even bother to call over Evergreen, releasing a lighting bolt that struck Lucy's chain, freeing it from her wrist. She quickly bent and pointed to the one around the other girl's ankle, which Laxus removed immediately, wondering why her ankle was chained when the others all had chains on their wrists.

"I have something for you," He whispered, handing Lucy her keys.

She lovingly took them from him, gently stroking the pouch before putting the belt back around her waist.

"Thank you," She said, going up on toes to kiss him.

He grinned down at her just as Loke appeared before them, causing the girls around them to scream. Lucy whirled then sagged in relief before calming the women who were looking at the spirit in fear.

"He's a friend," She told them. "He's just magic like my other friends, I promise."

They eyed him warily, but seemed to trust the blonde. Laxus silently wondered what she could have done to gain their trust so quickly, but knew that now was not the time to ask.

* * *

"My lady," Loke took her hand. "I'm so sorry that it took so long, there's a barrier that we couldn't break."

Lucy sighed, "It's okay, Loke. I know that if you could have been here sooner you would have."

He nodded before noticing all the other women surrounding him and quickly left Lucy to meet the others, just as Virgo appeared.

"Princess. I'm sorry, you must punish me for falling you," Virgo said, bowing to her.

Lucy shook her head, "No, Virgo. But you _can_ find a way to get these women out of here before Cassius comes back."

The Thunder Legion looked at her in surprise as Freed entered the room, wiping his forehead.

"Cassius?"

"Our captor," Lucy replied, turning to explain.

"Not a very good one, it seems," Cassius's voice sounded from behind her. "Not if I can't seem to keep my merchandise in place anyway."

Lucy whirled, glaring at the mage that had managed to kidnap her.

"Not your merchandise for very long," She replied, gripping her keys.


	25. Erza's Anger

**AN: Two chapters in One day! Don't you feel loved ;)**

* * *

Cassius eyed the girl in front of him, dubiously. Obviously the people who had come to save her were mages, he had witnesses three of them using their magic, but he doubted that she could do anything. After all, if she could magic, then why didn't she use it before now? Right now he was wishing that he had the rest of his crew with him, but he had thought this job would be an easy one and, until the mages showed up, it had been. The girl he could easily put out with his magic, but there was no way the three men there would fall for it. Though it looked like the only one he would have any real trouble with was the guy using Lightening.

The green-haired guy used some type of Rune Magic, which he knew how to combat if he needed to and the other guy's magic had to be pretty weak if he couldn't even use it against the locks. He quickly dismissed those two, turning toward the lightening guy. He would have to take care of him first if he wanted any chance of getting out of here.

"I take it you're Cassius," The big blonde rumbled, looking down at the purple-haired man.

Cassius wondered if he was at all related to the busty blonde he had captured earlier. That would, of course, explain why he was so quick to arrive and why he looked so angry now. Of course, all of the mages looked angry.

* * *

Lucy placed a hand on Laxus's chest.

"Get Freed to help Virgo get the girls out of here. I got this," She said softly, looking up at him determinedly.

"Lucy," He whispered.

She shook her head, "Let me handle him. I've seen what he's done to these women. I know what he can do and I want to take care of it, Lax."

He nodded, stepping back and gesturing for Freed to go with Virgo and the women. Lucy wouldn't admit it, but she was worried that the Rune Mage wouldn't be able to do much against Cassius, but he could protect the girls. Adaline shot her a look of worry before leaving and Lucy made a mental note to see her before they left.

"What can you do, little girl?" He sneered as Lucy drew her keys.

"More than you know," She replied with a wink, summoning back Loke.

He smiled at her, "Hello Lucy, my love. Want me to kick this guy's ass?"

"You got it," She replied, grinning.

Cassius looked on in amazement as the orange-haired man appeared. He'd snagged a Celestial Spirit Mage. He had one right there and now she was trying to escape. His boss would be furious if he did, so he turned back and pulled out his pipe, blowing a soft low note into it.

Lucy and Evergreen both blinked, their eyes going blank as he played another note.

"Loke, go home," The blonde said softly before crumpling to the ground with the brunette, the orange-haired man disappearing with an angry scowl directed at Cassius.

Cassius grinned. Now he only had two wizards to defeat. Too bad his magic didn't work on them.

* * *

Laxus watched as his girlfriend's eyes went blank and she crumpled to the ground. Growling, he turned back to this strange man.

"What did you do to Lucy?" He demanded, feeling the rage boiling from within.

"Lucy," Cassius looked down at the blonde. "I'll have to remember that when I take her for myself."

Laxus roared in rage before unleashing his lightening on the man. Not taking any chances he charged in, swinging at him as well. Cassius dodged the first punch only to have the second one hit him square in the ribs. He wheezed out, surprised by the power of it, before Laxus kicked him in the knee, causing him to go down as another lightening bolt struck him.

Laxus didn't even notice, he just kept hitting the guy until Lucy put a hand on his arm.

"Laxus, I think he might be dead," She whispered softly.

He turned and felt his rage melt away, seeing her okay.

"Lucy," He gathered her into his arms, breathing in the scent of strawberries and wild flowers that she always gave off.

She smiled up at him as Evergreen and Bickslow slowly approached the figure sprawled on the ground. Bickslow kicked him gently with one boot to hear a satisfying moan.

"Not dead," He called. "Probably should be taken in to the proper authorities then."

Laxus nodded, keeping his arm around Lucy.

* * *

Evergreen huffed as she tied him up, "At least I get to do something. I really wanted a chance to kick his ass too, but the jerk knocked me out."

Lucy nodded, "Break that pipe in his pocket, Evergreen. Then he can't use it to hurt anyone anymore."

Evergreen grinned, pulling it out and smashing it into pieces. Lucy was surprised at the girl's behavior, she seemed to be angry with the pipe for some reason.

"Not as satisfying as hurting the idiot who hurt my friend, but it will do," She sighed as they made their way to the village.

"You're friend?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Of course, we don't just go and rescue anyone, you know," Bickslow called back to them as he kept his hands firmly on the injured man in front of him. "You're just special that way."

Lucy blushed, looking down. She was thankful that they already considered her a friend.

"Next time though, let's all go on a mission where Lucy and I can do some real damage," Bickslow added, winking at the blonde.

* * *

Laxus was thankful when they reached the village a few moments later and handed the Piper over to the authorities before heading over to the mayor's. Which they reached in no time, only to be greeted by a blonde with sparkling green eyes. Laxus would have tried bedding the girl right there if it wasn't for his own beautiful blonde that he kept tucked under his arm.

"Hello," She whispered, allowing them in. "I'll let the Master know you are here. I'm sure him and the Mistress will be so happy to see you."

"Adaline?" Lucy whispered, touching the girl's arm.

"Hi, Lucy. It's good to see you," She grinned before rushing off.

Laxus raised an eyebrow at Lucy.

"Friend of yours?"

"From the caves. She mentioned that she was baker, she didn't say that she baked for the mayor."

Marketh ran down the stairs, greeting them all the way down and thanking them profusely.

"My girls arrived about twenty minutes ago with that green-haired friend of yours. He said that you were taking care of the mage and would along shortly. I can't thank you enough for helping me," He said, shaking each of their hands in turn.

"Amrine is resting now, but she sends her thanks as well. Adaline told us all how wonderful you were to her," He said, turning to Lucy. "She's like a daughter to us and we cannot thank you enough for keeping her safe from that creep."

He quickly handed over the money to her, smiling the whole time.

"I trust this is in good hands," He said. "I'm sorry, but I must go. My wife -"

"Of course," Laxus cut in, smiling down at Lucy. "We understand perfectly. We'll just get a night's rest at the hotel and head out in the morning."

"Thank you again," Marketh called as they walked out the door and down the street.

"What a friendly town," A familiar voice said from behind them. "And I see you got Lucy back, which is good because Master was worried."

* * *

They turned as one to see Mira and Erza glowering down at them.

Lucy looked at the two confused, "What are you two doing here?"

"Master sent us along to find you when Evergreen told us you had gone missing. Natsu and Gray really wanted to come along, but were forced to stay home. Needless to say the guild is beside itself with worry," Mira answered, smiling at the blonde, before turning her glare back on the rest.

"You told us she was missing," Erza said, pointing her sword at Laxus, who swallowed.

"She was. We found her," He answered.

"How could you have let her go missing? At least when she was with us that never happened."

"No, instead she just got injured all the time. The mage who was doing this had a spell that compelled girls to go to him. Lucy fell victim, but as you can see, was uninjured."

"How dare you!"

Lucy interjected herself between Laxus and Erza, who were inches away from each other, still yelling.

"Guys, it's okay. I'm okay, see. Nothing to worry about," She told them shakily.

The two backed off, looking at the girl about whom they'd been fighting. Laxus was surprised to realize how easily people cared for Lucy. At least they could all agree that it was her they were concerned about.

"Lucy, when we get back, you are going to learn to fight as well as use magic. I know you can use your whip and you have your 'Lucy Kick' but I'm going to teach you hand-to-hand combat. No way you're going out with us again until you learn it," He said, looking down at her.

She nodded, "Okay, just please stop fighting with Erza."

He chuckled at that, pulling her close and meeting the red-head's eyes as he replied, "Okay."

Erza nodded back in understanding.


	26. Returning Home

They reached the guild in record time, all of them remaining silent as they rode the train back. It had been a good job, well taken care, but with Mira and Erza glowering at them, they felt like they had messed up. Lucy was the only one who seemed unfazed, telling the girls, in detail, about what had happened. They listened intently to her story and, at the end of it, softened toward the Thunder Legion, realizing that the team had done all they could to protect their little Light, but there was no way they could have known about the magic Cassius used.

Laxus was silently grateful to his girlfriend for that, he was starting to swear under their constant glares. He hadn't realized that dating Lucy would bring him under so much scrutiny, but he wasn't surprised. Everyone in the guild cared for the blonde in one way or another, though a lot of them wouldn't admit it. He wrapped an arm around her as they walked into the guild, greeted by the cheers of their guild mates.

He almost did a double take. Most of the time people barely acknowledged him. When they did it was reserved or quiet. This was for Lucy, he knew, but through her for them as well. He cleared his face of emotion and sat in his usual spot, Lucy following behind him.

"Why do you do that?" She asked, as she sat beside him, leaning against him.

"Do what?" He asked, wrapping one arm around her.

"Stiffen like that. As soon as we walk into the guild you're body stiffens and face completely shuts down," She replied, tracing the side of his face with her fingers.

He shrugged, "Just something I do."

Lucy sighed, knowing that she wouldn't get anything out of him now. She looked around her guild, smiling. Everyone had gone back to what they were doing before the group walked in, but for some reason they seemed much more cheerful than they had before. Lucy silently wondered how many people had heard about her kidnapping before Erza and Mira had gone to find them.

"Lushie!" Happy cried, flying over and hugging her. "Erza said that bad men took you away."

She smiled softly down at the exceed, "Well, Laxus saved me."

Happy hugged Laxus next, causing the lightening mage to look at the exceed in surprise before gently stroking his fur.

"Thank you for saving Lucy," Happy said, sniffing a little.

Lucy was surprised to see Laxus soften toward the blue cat, petting him softly before setting him down on the table.

"Happy, listen to me," Laxus said, looking him in the eye. "I would never allow harm to come to Lucy. Okay? So believe me when I tell you, I will always save Lucy."

She looked at him in surprise, her eyes widening as Happy nodded solemnly.

* * *

Laxus turned to his girl as Happy flew off again, noticing her eyes wide with surprise.

"What?" He asked. "You don't think I would ever let anything happen to you, do you?"

Lucy looked down, blushing a little and Laxus sighed, taking her hands in his own.

"Have you figured it out yet?" He asked, bewildered by her reactions.

"What?" She asked, looking back up at him.

"I love you, Lucy Heartfilia," He said quietly, gently kissing her.

Lucy blushed, kissing him back. Her heart was pounding at his words. She'd known that he cared for her, but she hadn't expected him to confess his love for her so soon. She pulled away when she heard Mira '_aww_'ing from close by, her hands to her face as she began to daydream.

"Uh oh, Oh no," Lucy groaned as Mira started describing the cute children Laxus and Lucy would have.

She buried her face in Laxus's shoulder so the guild wouldn't see her blush. Mira and her crazy ideas! Laxus chuckled next to her as he watched the display. She laughed with him until Makarov came down the stairs, demanding to know what Mira was going on about. As soon as the guild explained that Mira was fantasizing about Laxus and Lucy's children, the Master joined her, agreeing that he would have beautiful great-grand children.

"Let's get out of here," Laxus said, pulling Lucy up.

She nodded, not noticing how red his face had also turned as he pulled her out of the guild hall and toward her apartment, followed by the sounds of laughter from the guild. Neither of them noticed the glint in Mira's eye as she watched them leave, either.

They finally stopped when they reached her apartment, laughing softly as they caught their breath.

"I'll give you one thing," Laxus teased. "It's always an adventure with you around."

Lucy grinned, kissing him on the cheek, "What can I say? You bring out the adventure in me."

* * *

He laughed, following her into the apartment. Both of them stopped, looking around her apartment in wonder. The place was spotless with flowers covering the counters and tables. Lucy looked at Laxus in bewilderment as he looked back, shrugging in confusion. Then she noticed the note on her bed and picked it up.

_Lucy,_

_Erza called and we had to rush right over. We miss you so much. Hopefully you'll be reading this soon. Sorry we couldn't be there to rescue you, but we already had a mission. Gray is angry with us for not letting him go along with Erza and Natsu and I are frantic with worry. Sorry about the flowers - the boys wanted to get you the best ones and, well, you know how everything can turn into a competition. Needless to say, Erza's call has us all freaking out, but I know if that Lightening idiot doesn't get you back Erza and Mira-nee will._

_With Love,_

_Lisanna_

Printed underneath in slopping writing were the words:

_And Natsu and Gray!_

Lucy giggled, shaking her head at the letter. She could always count on them to lighten any mood.

* * *

Laxus read the note over her shoulder, feeling irritated at the two boys who could have easily claimed Lucy's affection but never tried. He had seen how Lucy used to look at both of them at first, but how, after neither of them seemed to pay her any mind, her gaze had changed from one of infatuation to one of a sister looking at her brothers.

"Everyone seems to think that I'm not very capable of protecting you," He pouted, sitting down at her table.

She turned, grinning, "I think you protect me very well."

He smiled mischievously at her, winking, "You think so, huh?"

Lucy blushed again, nodding as he stepped toward her.

"Well, that's good. I would hate to think my girl thought I was incapable of keeping her safe," He answered. "Still doesn't change the fact that tomorrow you are learning how to keep yourself safe in case I'm not around to do it."

She nodded seriously, "Right."

He smiled again, kissing her deeply as they fell back on the bed. She moaned under him, causing him to instantly harden.

"If we don't want this to go any further, you can't be doing that," He whispered, kissing her jawline.

"Who says I don't want it to," She replied, smirking softly as she reached a hand up to his face.

He sat up, looking at her.

"Don't tease, Lucy. I don't mind waiting until you're ready, but don't tease me, okay?" He said, glaring at her.

Lucy's heart raced. Why couldn't he believe that this was what she wanted? Yes, she had freaked out at the camp when he tried, but she felt ready now. All the things that she had been scared of had disappeared when Cassius had threatened to make her his. All she could think about then was how she didn't want Laxus to have her for the first time and discover that someone else had taken that from him.

That was the moment that she knew she was utterly and completely in love with Laxus Dreyer. It was also the moment that she had determined to give herself to him, even if he broke her heart afterwards.


	27. A Night to Remember

**AN: ****Warning****: Sexual Content. Lots of it. Enjoy it ;)**

* * *

She kept silently for a moment, trying to determine the best words to use to show him that she was serious about it. Finally she sat up with him, taking his hands in her own.

"I'm serious, Laxus," She whispered. "I know I was terrified before. I was afraid that you would take me and break my heart after, but I realized something while I was captive. I realized that if I didn't let someone in, if I didn't allow myself to trust that you wouldn't hurt me, then someone else could easily take it by force. I would much rather make love to you and have you discard me later than have someone take me by force. That is _not_ how I want to remember my first time."

She looked up at him when she finally finished speaking, to find him staring at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. She shifted nervously after a few moments, then he chuckled softly and she wondered if he was making fun of her for feeling that way.

"Just when I think you can't get anymore remarkable, Lucy Heartfilia, you go and surprise me," He whispered, kissing her gently.

She blinked, that was not what she had been expecting after the long silence that had stretched between them. Finally she kissed him back, pulling him closer to her as the two continued where they left off in the tent.

* * *

Laxus stared at her for a long while, trying to comprehend what it was that she was trying to say. He just could believe that his shy, scared girlfriend was trying to tell him that she was ready. It seemed impossible. Finally he decided that it must be what she was saying, but he was worried now. How to go about it? Lucy was special to him; he didn't want to treat her like he treated the girls he normally slept with. She meant more than that to him.

"Lucy," He whispered, kissing her collarbone. "I'm not very good at making a girl feel special."

She moaned under him, "It's alright. You make me special just by being with me."

He chuckled at that, causing her to squirm under him. Grinning he nipped her neck lightly, leaving a little red mark which caused his grin to widen. Marking her as his caused his heart to swell in satisfaction.

* * *

Lucy moaned under him as Laxus slowly removed her shirt, kissing the skin that swelled up over her bra before removing that as well. She could feel the heat starting in her stomach, making her long for the man that was slowly, torturously kissing his way down the pale expanse of her stomach while gently rubbing her nipples under his thumbs.

She arched her back when he reached the area that her skirt cover and could feel him chuckling below her. She would have swatted him for it, but her mind was too far gone, lost in the pleasurable haze that he had created. He removed the last articles of her clothing and she looked down at him, her face red, embarrassed by her nakedness.

"It's really not fair that you still have all of your clothes on, while I am completely naked," She managed to gasp out as he kissed her thighs only inches from the spot that ached so fiercely. He laughed again, his breath causing her arch herself up toward him once more.

"Think so, do you?" He teased, allowing his tongue to trace the outline of her lower region.

She nodded, afraid that if she tried to speak nothing would come out but more moans. He pulled back, causing her to moan in frustration as he discarded the shirt he was wearing.

"I think if I leave you alone much longer, Miss Heartfilia, you're going to have my head," He tease as he leaned forward once more. "Is being shirtless good for now?"

She nodded vigorously as his tongue finally flicked over her clit, causing her to let out a strangled yell. Her body begged for more as he suckled it, slipping a finger inside her. She felt like she was floating in a sea of pleasurable agony as she began to move the finger, still sucking on her clit while his free hand had gone back to stroking her nipples. Within minutes she was trembling, riding the waves of her climax.

* * *

Laxus watched his girlfriend in awe, amazed at how beautiful she looked as she came. He was throbbing with the need to feel her, but he wanted her first time to be amazing so he pushed the thoughts away, kissing every bare spot he could find while she came down from her high. He looked up to see her looking at him in adoration.

"I think there's something else that you need to be doing," She winked, looking adorable with her face still flushed.

He grinned, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, kissing him deeply while tugging his pants off. As soon as her small, cool hands wrapped around him he lost all thoughts of being gentle, his body begging him to take this delicate flower that was offering herself to him.

* * *

Lucy gasped as he entered her swiftly, tears pricking her eyes at the slight pain she felt. He looked down in concern, kissing her.

"Okay?" He whispered.

She nodded as her body adjusted to his size and he began to move. At first all she felt was more pain and she couldn't help but wonder why girls did this. Then the pleasure hit. What she had felt before was nothing compared to what she was feeling now and she pressed up higher, wrapping her legs around him to get him in deeper.

All sense of time and movement stopped for Lucy as wave after wave of agonizing pleasure filled her, stoking the flame that was building inside of her. She never noticed the bite marks he left when he bit down on her shoulder to keep from yelling out, nor did she notice the scratch marks she was trailing across his back as she screamed out her pleasure.

Finally it was too much and she cried out his name as she came around him.

* * *

Laxus found his own release in her own, moaning her name as he came inside her. Neither of them even thought about the fact that they had no protection. In the morning, that might be a sore point, but for tonight neither cared as she nestled into him, both of them too content and tired to speak.


	28. Good Morning

**AN: Well, this was supposed to be longer, but I unfortunately I've run out of computer time.**

* * *

Lucy woke up, feeling sore and content. It was the kind of sore you would feel when you've worked out and used muscles that you hadn't used in a while and she relished in it, rolling over to snuggle into Laxus. Only, when she rolled, she discovered that he wasn't there. She sat up, rubbing her eyes as she looked around for him. He wouldn't just leave, would he? Not after last night. Fear froze in the pit of her stomach. Of course he would. It was well known that Laxus was a playboy. Now he'd gotten what he'd wanted from her, why would he stay? She mentally kicked herself for being so foolish. Loke had warned her this would happen, but she'd been to blind to see it.

She was still cursing herself when she got up and gathered her clothes to shower. She paused, however, when she noticed a black t-shirt with a note pinned to it. Dropping her things from her arms she walked over and cautiously picked up the letter.

_Lucy,_

_If I know you, which I would say I do after last night ;) , You're probably panicking right now and thinking that I used you or something crazy like that. Don't panic. Take a shower - hot one, it'll help relax your muscles, which are probably sore after last night - and then come meet me at the guild. Sorry I left without waking you, but you looked so cute sleeping. I have a surprise for you._

_Oh, and bring me my shirt back, please. I left it here for assurance, but, you know, my shirt. Would like it back._

_Love_

_Yours_

_Laxus_

Lucy grinned, giggling a little at the crossed out "Love" that he had written. She felt much better now that she knew he hadn't run out on her and she hoped into the shower with a grin.

* * *

Laxus paced the guild, restless and nervous as he waited for his girlfriend. He had planned to take her out for breakfast, somewhere nice, and then discuss last night with her. He wasn't sure which part of his plan made him more nervous but he couldn't sit still. His team members watched him in concern while he could hear Mira giggling like mad from behind the bar.

"What is so damn funny?" He finally yelled at her, turning to glare at her.

Her laughter only increased as she served Gajeel another beer.

"You are," She answered. "I've never seen you get this worked up over a girl."

He rolled his eyes, "I don't know what you're talking up."

"Sure, sure," She teased, grinning knowingly at him.

Laxus growled and turned away before she could see the blush he felt spreading across his cheeks. Okay, so maybe he was a little worked up, but he couldn't help. Even after last night, especially after last night, Laxus still craved her touch. He berated himself for not staying there, but he woken up and panicked a little at seeing the blonde snuggled in his arms. That didn't happen, he didn't stay the night. Ever. If he ever dated a girl he usually dropped her as soon as he'd done what he wanted. With Lucy, though, it was different. He wanted to continue being with her, to see her face scrunch when she thought, see that wild, sexy side that he was sure no one else had seen before, he wanted to continue hearing those sexy little moans - he shook his head to clear himself of those thoughts before the guild noticed.

* * *

Lucy hummed to herself as she walked to the place she considered her second home. After the finding the note she hadn't been able to contain her joy and would often burst into song while she was bathing. She settled for a hum as she walked, not wanting to scare the people around her.

"Lucy!" She turned, still grinning when she saw Natsu running toward her.

She stopped and waited patiently for him to catch up, still humming softly.

"On your way to the guild?" He asked, catching up and falling in step with her.

Her grin brightened, "Yep."

He narrowed his eyes, "Going to see Laxus, I take it."

She nodded, still smiling.

"Yep," She said, popping the 'p'.

He shook his head, laughing at her expression.

"You really got it for him, don't you?" He teased.

She smiled, "Yep."

His eyes narrowed after a moment, looking at her in concern.

"Hey, Luce," He said hesitantly after a moment, "Why do you smell like Laxus?"

She blushed brightly, staring down at the shirt she had been holding tightly to her. There was no way she was going to tell Natsu what had happened between her and Laxus last night. She still wasn't sure if she was going to tell Levy, so she definitely wasn't going to tell Natsu. She held out the shirt to him, smiling.

"Laxus forgot his shirt at my place, so I'm returning it to him. That's probably what you smell," She answered.

He nodded, "Must be."

As they reached the doors he stopped again.

"Why was Laxus shirtless?" He asked, looking at her in suspicion.

Lucy blushed and pushed the doors open, thankful that Lisanna was there waiting.

"Hey, Lisanna," She grinned at her friend before waving at Natsu. "Bye, Natsu."

* * *

Laxus watched as he girlfriend practically fled from her friends toward him and couldn't help but wonder what Natsu had said to her that had made her face turn so red. She spotted him then and hurried toward him, holding his shirt out to him.

"I think you left this at my place," She winked, as he took it from her.

He grinned, "Quite probably."

She laughed, then turned serious as he stood, taking her arm.

"Why does Natsu think I smell like you?" She asked as he led her out of the guild.

He grinned, "Oh, that's just a little Dragon Slayer thing. He's too dense to realize it, but after you've mated with someone, you tend to smell like each other. It only goes away if you stop for a long period of time."

As if to prove his point Gajeel started chuckling from the corner, causing them both to glare at him as Levy looked at him in confusion.

"What's so funny?" The blunette asked as they walked by.

"I'll let Lucy tell you, Shrimp. She would probably hate me if I gave away her secrets," He winked at the couple while Levy looked between the three in confusion.

Lucy blushed at Gajeel's insinuation and allowed Laxus to hurry her out of the guild before Wendy showed up. There was no way she was going to be able to explain it to the Sky Dragon Slayer if she couldn't even explain it to Natsu.

"Where are we going?" She finally managed to ask, looking up at Laxus in confusion.

"I'm taking you out for breakfast," He announced.

"What's wrong with eating at the guild?" She demanded as they reached their destination.

He hesitated before answering, "There are some things that I would like to talk to you about that I thought maybe you would prefer if the guild didn't overhear."

Lucy's blush brightened, realizing that he probably wanted to talk to her about last night. She was thankful that he'd had the foresight to ask her to eat where the guild, especially Mira, couldn't overhear them talking. Sitting down in the first booth that was available she picked up the menu offered to her and buried her face in it.

* * *

Laxus chuckled as he sat across from her and she peered at him from over the menu.

"What's so funny?" She demanded.

"You are," He answered. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed."

"I don't know what you're talking about," She muttered, setting the menu down and peering at it. "I'm just trying to decide what to eat. Never been here before."

He laughed again, "Sure, Lucy. I just don't know how you can be embarrassed after the things we did to each other last night."

Laxus didn't think it was possible, but Lucy's blush deepened as she recalled last night. Deciding that he really liked it when she was blushing he continued on.

"You're lucky that I had an extra shirt. Could you imagine what would happen if the guild saw what a mess you made of my back?"

Lucy looked up, her eyes widening.

"I'm so sorry," She answered.

"I liked it," He winked, before pointing to her. "Besides, you didn't go entirely unscathed either."

She looked down and noticed the hickey for the first time.

"Oh no," She moaned. "Mira and Cana are never going to let this go."

He laughed again as the waitress came to take their order.


	29. Mira and Cana's Ambush

Back at the guild Mira was definitely _not_ letting it go as she leaned toward Cana.

"Did you see it?" She whispered as Kinana took over for the take over mage.

"See what?" Cana asked, sounding bored as she lifted her mug to her lips.

"Lucy's hickey," Mira hissed.

Cana nearly choked on her booze, setting the mug down for the first time since she entered the guild and leaning forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Lucy has a hickey?" She demanded. "Who from?"

Mira rolled her eyes, "Haven't you been paying attention to anything. She's dating_ Laxus_, I doubt anyone else would be giving her a hickey."

Cana laughed at that, "If she has a hickey, I wonder what else she has... or should I say doesn't have."

Mira grinned evilly at the card mage, "We must make her tell us when they get back."

"Who's telling you what?" Erza asked as she set her cake down next to the counter.

"Lucy has a hickey," Cana hissed.

Erza froze, a bite of cake half-way between the plate and her lips, and turned toward the drunk.

"Lucy has _what_?"

* * *

Lucy shivered violently and suddenly she dreaded going back to the guild. Without a doubt the girls she spent so much time with would demand answers. Answers she wasn't sure she could give or would even want to. She finished her food slowly, hoping to delay their return for as long as possible. Laxus chuckled before leaning toward her.

"You really don't want to go back there, do you?" He teased, his eyes dancing with the thought of her having to face her friends.

She shivered before smiling, "Well, can you imagine what they're going to be like? Especially if Cana opens her mouth and tells Erza?"

Laxus shivered at that, thinking of what she would be like if Erza found out that Laxus and Lucy had been intimate with each other. He knew the red-head well enough to know that if she knew anything that had happened last night he was going to be facing the end of a sword soon.

"Actually, maybe we should wait a little longer to go," He said as they headed for the door after he paid.

Lucy shook her head, "Nu-huh, Laxus Dreyer. Sooner or later they're all going to figure out that we've reached a new stage in our relationship. Might as well face them now."

Laxus shivered again, pulling Lucy closer to him.

"Maybe we should just go away," He replied.

He would never admit it but Erza scared him more than any other girl in the guild. Mira could be spooky sometimes, but Erza was downright terrifying when she was angry. He didn't even want to think what she would be like when she found out the truth. Another thought occurred to them when they were half-way to the guild.

"Gramps," He whispered, coming to a complete halt.

Lucy turned toward him, her brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

He looked at her, his face going pale, "When Gramps finds out..."

"I thought he was okay with you sleeping with other girls," She asked, looking at him in concern.

"Other girls, yes. Guild mates, not so much," Laxus hesitated. "And Lucy? We never used protection."

Lucy paled at his words. She had been so engrossed in the moment and the pleasure she hadn't even thought of that. She lowered her head, staring at her feet. A million thoughts and what ifs flashed through her mind in an instant before she looked up at him, forcing a smile across her face.

"Well, we'll just have to be more careful in the future," She said, sounding cheerful.

He looked at her in surprise before nodding.

"Right."

"Exactly, one time won't hurt, right?"

Laxus nodded, but had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he agreed with the blonde.

She took his hand and pulled him toward the guild, pushing down her fears at what she had forgotten and trying to imagine what it was going to be like back at the guild hall. She really had no clue what was in store for the lovers when they got back.

* * *

"Laxus Dreyer, I must talk to you," Erza yelled the moment they walked in.

Laxus shot Lucy a fearful look as Erza grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the Celestial Spirit Mage. She shot him an apologetic look before he was pulled out of her sight and down a hallway.

"Is it true?" Erza demanded the moment they were alone.

Laxus shrugged, pretending a calm that he did not feel, "That depends on what it is."

Erza glared, her sword instantly coming up to his throat.

"Don't play games with me,_ Laxus_. Did you take Lucy's virtue?" She demanded, an angry glint in her eyes.

"Yes," He stated flatly. "She wanted me to, so I did."

She lowered the sword an inch, "You were good to her, I trust?"

Laxus nodded without going into detail.

"If I find out you weren't -"

"I promise, Lucy had no complaints."

"Good. And if you hurt her, I will kill you, Gramps or no."

"I'm sure there will be a lot of people after me if I do," He answered dryly, glaring at the red-head.

Erza nodded before walking away, leaving him slumped against the wall in relief.

* * *

Lucy sat at the barstool, wondering what Erza was saying to her boyfriend. She had a pretty good idea, but there was no way to be sure without spying on them, and, judging by the look in Cana and Mira's eyes, she wasn't going to be able to do that any time soon.

"Lucy," Mira called sweetly, too sweetly in Lucy's opinion. "Can we have a word with you, dear?'

Lucy shivered again as she forced herself to move over to where the two girls were sitting.

"Yes?" She asked tensely.

"We noticed you have a little mark on your neck," Cana teased, going straight to the point. "So we wanted to ask you -"

"How far did you get with Laxus?" Mira interrupted, her eyes sparkling.

Lucy gulped, knowing exactly what the white-haired mage was thinking about.

"I really don't think that's anyone's business," She stated, stalling.

"Wrong," Mira answered. "As your friends we are obligated to know what happened so that we can decide the proper amount of punishment when he decides to hurt you."

Lucy's heart sank, noticing how Mira had said _when_ and not_ if_. She wondered if she really was making a mistake being with the lightening dragon slayer, but quickly pushed it aside as she recalled his promised from last night and this morning. He wouldn't hurt her like that, not the Laxus that she was beginning to know.

"You mean_ if_ he decides to hurt me," Lucy corrected, feeling angry that everyone would just assume that he was out to break hearts.

Mira and Cana exchanged a look that Lucy couldn't interpret before agreeing with her. She sighed, knowing that they didn't really believe it and were just placating her. She also knew that the best way to escape this conversation was to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Laxus and I had sex, okay?" She blurted softly, glaring at the girls.

"All right, Go Lucy!" Cana cheered, lifting her mug in celebration. "Was it good?"

Mira and her both leaned forward at that question, eager to know about the man that only Lucy had been able to conquer inside the guild.

Lucy blushed brightly, "It was excellent."

Mira and Cana squealed with excitement at her words, demanding for her to tell them all about it.

She sighed, "Look, can we all just get together at my house sometime. Levy still doesn't know yet and she'll want details, too."

The two nodded eagerly before Cana stood on the table, getting the attention of the entire guild, including Erza who was just entering the main room, Natsu and Lisanna who just walked in from outside, and Evergreen who pushed herself off Elfman's lap as soon as she noticed the mage.

"Girl's night at Lucy's house," Cana yelled. "_TONIGHT_!"

The girls cheered before Cana climbed off the table. Lucy was silently thankful that Wendy was gone on a mission, there was no way she was going to have that conversation with the young girl. If Mira and Cana thought she was old enough to know about it then they could explain it to her, but Lucy wasn't going to.

"Why's it gotta be a girl's night?" Natsu whined as he sat at the bar.

"Lucy has some things she needs to discuss that boys shouldn't be privy to hearing about," Mira winked while Lucy blushed.

Lisanna looked between her sister and her best friend, quickly putting two-and-two together and blushed just as hard.

"Whatever Lucy has to say she can say in front of me," He whined once more before Lisanna leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Lucy's blush deepened as Natsu's head whipped up, looking at Lucy in shock.

"So_ that's_ why you smell like Laxus," He blurted, loudly, causing more than a few heads to turn in their direction as Lisanna covered his mouth with her hand.

"Natsu, not here," She chided before grinning guiltily at Lucy. "Sorry, Luce. Sometimes I forget that his brain has no filter."

Lucy waved it off as Laxus appeared, sitting beside her.

* * *

Laxus had heard most of the conversation and he silently cursed the boy for his loud mouth. He was sure that most everyone in the guild had heard him and he wondered just when Gramps was going to call him into the office to have a little chat about the Spirit mage. He prayed that he would still have a little time to get his thoughts together as Lucy turned toward him.

"So I suppose you know that tonight I'm having a girl's night," She smiled.

He nodded, "I heard."

She blushed and he couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. She was just so damn cute when she was blushing.

"Laxus, I think someone broke your face," Natsu teased. "You're smiling."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Laxus muttered, still smiling down at his girlfriend.

She shrugged, "I like it. The smile, that is."

His smile widened, "I'm glad."

* * *

**AN: So the next chapter is probably going to be Lucy heavy. More so than normal because it's going to be all about the girl's night. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze a little bit of Laxus's perspective in it, but I make no promises.**


	30. Girls' Night

Lucy sighed as she finished cleaning her apartment and sat beside Laxus, who had come over to help her clean, though really all he'd done was watch her fly about her apartment in amusement.

"What time's everyone supposed to be here?" He asked gently, noticing how exhausted she seemed.

Lucy glanced at her clock and moaned, "In an hour."

He chuckled and leaned toward her.

"That's plenty of time," He winked suggestively and burst into laughter as she blushed.

"Shut up, Laxus," She half-yelled. "That is not plenty of time, nor do I need to hear it when they come over and find you passed out in my bed."

He grinned, raising his hands in surrender.

"Alright," He teased, winking at her. "I'll go then."

Lucy grabbed his arm, "Don't leave yet. Just stay with me."

He nodded and the two cuddled on her couch for a while, Laxus watching as Lucy drifted to sleep in his arms. He sighed, wishing they weren't having a girls' night tonight. He would send them all away if it were up to him, but he knew that would make Lucy mad, so fifteen minutes before the girls were supposed to arrive he gently shook her awake.

She shifted, rubbing her eyes sleepily and he smiled softly at her. She hummed not really wanting to move from the warmth of his arms and he chuckled.

"Come on, love, I know you don't want to but Mira and the rest will be here soon," He whispered, kissing her cheek.

She smiled, "Can't we just lock the doors and pretend no one's home?"

He shook his head, "Unfortunately, that wouldn't work."

Lucy sighed as the doorbell rang.

"Here, I'll get that, you get up and prepare yourself for an onslaught of girls," He teased, kissing her. "I'll see you later."

Lucy kissed him back, wishing that he could stay with her for what was sure to be an interrogation. He smiled as he opened the door just as Mira was about to knock. Both mages blinked in surprise before Mira's face split into a knowing grin.

"Take it easy on her," Laxus whispered as he slid past her, disappearing down the hall.

* * *

"Hey Lucy," Mira said as she slipped inside.

Lucy smiled at the girl, looking behind her for the others.

"No one else here yet?" The blonde asked her friend.

Mira shook her head, "I left a little early, figuring maybe you would need a forewarning that the others are on their way. It looks like you had it handled pretty well."

Lucy blushed, "Yeah, I guess so."

Mira chuckled as Lucy's doorbell rang.

"That would be the others," Mira grinned, running down to answer the door.

Soon Lucy's house was brimming with girls, all of them gathered in her living room and staring up at her expectantly. Lucy blushed bright red as Cana jumped straight to the point.

"So tell us," Cana demanded.

"I'm still confused as to what it is we're being told," Levy said, sitting beside her best friend.

Cana quirked an eyebrow at Lucy, as if asking her if she wanted to answer this one.

Lucy sighed and looked over at the girls, silently thanking the stars that they were all close to her. Levy, Cana, and Mira sat on her bed with her while Juvia, Evergreen, and Lisanna sat on the couch. Erza had claimed a spot on the floor while Bisca, the only other girl in attendance, sprawled in the chair that Gray normally occupied.

"I slept with Laxus," Lucy whispered, so soft that at first the girls thought they must have misheard her, but, upon studying her face, decided that they had heard correctly.

Suddenly, Lucy's room was filled with noise as they all began talking at once, demanding answers to their questions. Only the three who already knew, and Lucy, were silent. Finally, Lucy raised her hands in a calming gesture, causing them to all fall silent.

"I think it would be best if we did this one question at a time," Lucy finally managed. "Maybe starting with Levy and working our way around the room so each of you can ask whichever question is burning the most."

The others nodded, agreeing it was as good a plan as any.

"Why didn't you_ tell_ me?" Levy demanded without hesitation, wondering why her best friend had told Cana and Mira but not her.

"I was going to, but then Cana and Mira saw this," She pointed to her hickey, blushing. "And they began asking questions, so I decided to call a girls' night and just get it all out in the open at once."

Levy nodded, satisfied now that she knew she wasn't losing her best friend.

"When?" Evergreen demanded. "Because I know it wasn't while we were working."

Lucy's face turned brighter, "Last night. After we got back from the job I just decided that if I was going to lose my virginity I would rather it be with Laxus than some creep in a cave who thought he could own me."

The other's gaped for a moment before realizing that she had to have been talking about when she was kidnapped. Wisely, they shut their mouths and allowed Juvia the next question.

"So Lucy does not love Gray-Sama?"

The girls laughed at Juvia's obviousness as Lucy shook her head.

"No, Never have, Juvia."

The water mage broke into one of her rare smiles, "Juvia is glad. I really like you, Lucy, and I didn't want to be competing with you for Gray-Sama's love."

Lisanna smiled, "So he was your first then?"

Lucy nodded, blushing as the girls all broke into squeals once more.

Erza looked at her in all seriousness, an evil glint in her eyes as she asked, "And he was good to you?"

Lucy nodded again, swallowing, "Yes. He was gentle and attentive and sweet."

The girls all let out a collective sigh of relief as Erza nodded, relaxing.

"Good."

Bisca winked at her, "I think I get to ask the question we all really want to know."

Lucy looked at her blankly, "What's that?"

"Was it good?"

Lucy's face turned redder than ever before as she nodded, "Yeah."

"Do you love him?" Cana demanded, causing the other girls to gape at her. "What? If she loves him then we have to kill him if he ever breaks her heart."

"Yes," Lucy whispered so softy that if the room hadn't been silent no one would have heard her.

"Did he hurt you?" Mira demanded, an evil glint in her eyes as she imagined how rough Laxus could be. "If he hurt you, we'll _have_ to kill him."

Erza nodded, requipping into her armor and grabbing her sword, "Yes, Lucy, you must tell us. I swear I will not let him hurt you and get away with it."

Lucy looked around the room, surprised. Bisca had one of her guns out and was cleaning it while Mira was half in her Satan Soul and Cana flashed her cards out on the bed. Levy was writing something out that Lucy was too afraid to ask and Juvia seemed to have turned into the rain woman once more while Evergreen had that glint in her eyes while she fixed her glasses. Lucy looked at Lisanna for help, thinking she was remaining calm until she notice the claws where her hands were only moments ago.

Lucy thought hard about what to say, knowing that there was pain when they first started, but also knowing that if she lead with that the girls would be out of here and hunting for her boyfriend before she could get another word out.

"No," She replied softly. "And yes."

The girls looked at her in confusion.

"There was pain, at first, because there is pain when these things start, but he was very gentle and kind about it. Afterwards there was only pleasure."

Bisca nodded in understanding, putting her gun away.

"What about that mark on your neck?" Lisanna demanded.

Lucy blushed, retorting with, "You should see his back."

The rest of the girls relaxed at that, each a different shade of pink at the thought of what Lucy must have done to say those particular words. The rest of the night went swiftly by as the subject turned from Lucy's first time to the other girls' boyfriends to boys in general. Each one got a good amount of teasing over the boy she liked. The only real surprises that were earned were when Cana confessed that she was still a virgin (which no one had thought), and Mira confessed to liking Freed, which immediately had Lucy and Evergreen discussing the best way to set up the Take-Over and Rune mages.

* * *

Back at the guild, Laxus sat, wondering what exactly was going on at Lucy's house that was causing him to get chills. He drank his beer in silence as he contemplated it, trying to ignore the glances he was getting from around the guild. Part of him was curious about those looks of pity, but a larger part was still too busy contemplating what the women were discussing when he heard his name shouted from his Grandfather's office.

He sighed and strode toward the room, trying to quell the fear that was gathering inside him as he pushed open the door.

"Is it true?" The old man demanded as Laxus shut the door and sat down across from his grandfather.

"Is what true?" He asked, forcing his face into a blank mask that belied the fear he felt inside.

"You slept with Lucy?" Makarov demanded, glowering at Laxus. "After I told you that you were to keep your sex life separate from our guild?"

Laxus sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd always wondered if one day his playboy attitude would come back to bite him in the ass. It seemed that day had come.

"Yes," The boy said simply, deciding not to try to complicate the matter by making excuses. "I did."

Makarov glowered at his grandson, "And what do you have to say about it?"

Laxus shrugged, "It was enjoyable. I plan to keep doing it in the future. In fact, I don't plan on stopping - ever."

It was as close to admitting that he was in love with the busty blonde as he was willing to get. Apparently it was enough because Makarov blinked in surprise, uncrossing his arms as his glare softened.

"You plan on staying with her?" He asked, kindly.

Laxus nodded, "Forever if I can."

That seemed to be the answer the Master was hoping for because he dismissed Laxus after warning the boy to take care of Lucy because if he didn't then the guild would probably try to hunt him down, Master's Grandson or not. Laxus left the office feeling confused and relieved at the same time.

* * *

**AN: YAY, Laxus viewpoint, too! :3 Thank you all for your reviews. As a reminder, I'm currently working on another Fairy Tail fanfic but haven't decided who to pair our lovely leading lady with. I have a poll in my profile, so if you haven't voted yet, please do. Right now I'm at a three way tie (though I can't tell you who's leading), so make sure to get your vote in so that your person can win!**


	31. Heartbreak

Lucy was relieved when the girls finally left, she loved them dearly, but sometimes they could be exhausting. Smiling she laid down in her bed, wondering what Laxus was doing right now. She sighed and shifted, staring up at the ceiling as she thought. A breeze through her window caught her attention and she looked down as Happy, Gray, and Natsu tumbled in onto her bed. She sighed heavily, staring at the two boys in annoyance.

"Didn't Lisanna tell you not to do that anymore?" Lucy demanded, glaring at the pinkette.

He snorted, "If you're warnings didn't scare me away, why would hers?"

Lucy and Gray both glared at the dragon slayer then.

"Because she's your girlfriend, flame-brain," Gray said, annoyed.

Natsu shrugged, sitting on Lucy's bed, "You wanted in to see Lucy after the girl's left. Here we are, so why are you complaining?"

Gray rolled his eyes, sitting in the spot Bisca had vacated only minutes ago.

"You wanted to see me?" Lucy asked, looking between her two best friends in confusion.

Gray nodded, "There's a rumor going around the guild and I thought I should tell you before you went in and heard all the awful things they're saying about you."

Lucy eyed him curiously, "And what are they saying about me?"

"Don't worry, Natsu and I defended you against them, we told those jerks that you just weren't that kind of girl."

Natsu nodded, his arms crossed, "We still thought you might like to know what you're in for when you get down there though."

Lucy sat down and crossed her arms, "And could someone please tell me what it is I'm in for?"

"Well, there's a rumor going around that you slept with Laxus," Gray said, hesitantly.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at Natsu, who knew that she had, in fact, done exactly that. He shrugged and suddenly appeared very interested in her bedding. Lucy sighed as she turned back to Gray, who hadn't missed the interaction, only chose to ignore it.

"What if I had slept with Laxus?" Lucy asked.

Suddenly, Gray was on his feet, shirt in his hands as he headed for the door.

"Natsu," Lucy sighed, looking pleadingly at her friend who immediately raced to grab Gray before he reached her door.

"Would you at least let Luce tell her side of the story before you storm off to kill the man, dumb head," Natsu said, forcibly turning Gray around.

Lucy watched the exchange in surprise, normally it was Gray demanding that Nastu cool down, not the other way around. Something about this situation did not seem to sit well with Gray as he sat back down, glaring at the dragon slayer.

Lucy sighed, "I did, sleep with Laxus that is. I enjoyed it actually, and before you go getting ideas, no it was not his idea, no he did not force or pressure me into it. And yes, Erza knows, so there's no need to go telling her."

Gray's eyebrows rose continuously as his friend talked, until they seemed to disappear into his hair.

"But why, Luce, I didn't even get you two dating, you know what a complete jerk he is. Now you've gone and given him the only thing that he really wanted from you. How long do you think he'll stay with you now?" Gray demanded.

Lucy's heart clenched, part of her knowing that Gray was speaking only from what he knew of Laxus. The other part of her wondered if he was right. She could feel the tears coming, so before either of her friends could see them, she pointed at the door.

"Get out. Both of you._ Out_," She whispered, before running into the bathroom and slamming it behind her, not even bothering to see if they actually would leave.

* * *

Laxus was strolling toward Lucy's house, thinking about how great it would be to take her out on a real date. Not a date to his house or on a job, but a real date with dinner and such while silently arguing with himself that he needed to quit being such a romantic fool, when he saw Natsu and Gray climb out of her window.

For an instant he froze. He knew that Natsu came and went as he pleased, though it seemed that since dating Lisanna that had slowed down quite a bit, but Gray... Laxus wasn't sure what to make of the Ice Mage. He'd never seemed interested in Lucy before, but, if this was just a social call, why were the pair sneaking out of her bedroom window like a pair of thieves?

_or lovers._

The thought hit him out of nowhere, but once it was there it wouldn't leave. Was Lucy really like that? He had never thought so, but why else would they be sneaking out of her room so late at night? He knew Lucy was a virgin before he took her, but that didn't mean that the three weren't doing other things.

Images of Lucy and the two flashed through his mind and he couldn't help but wonder if that was why the group seemed so close. Even Gray and Natsu, who had hated each other before Lucy came to the guild, got along. Growling, now, he stormed up to her room, unsure of what he was going to say but knowing that he had to say something.

* * *

Lucy had the bad luck to be just getting out of the shower when she heard the pounding on her door. Sighing to herself she quickly wrapped a towel around herself, rubbing the last of her tears from her eyes as she headed toward the door. She flung it open to reveal Laxus glowering down at her.

"Laxus, hey," She grinned, before she realized that he was glaring at her.

"You bitch," He whispered, before turning and stalking back down the hallway.

Lucy blinked for just a moment before shutting her door and hurrying to find the nearest available clothes. She had no idea what had just happened, but she knew she needed to talk to him before this got out of control.

She hurried out the door to her place, looking for Laxus as she ran. She spotted him just as he crossed the street and she ran after him, yelling his name in a desperate attempt to get his attention.

* * *

Laxus really hadn't expected his fears to be founded. Part of him whispered that he was being a jealous jerk and that was the part he listened to, but a smaller, darker part, couldn't help but wonder anyways. So when she had flung open the door in nothing but a towel, his brain had made the wrong connections, not noticing her damp hair or the fact that her face was still a little puffy from crying. Instead it notice the towel and the very naked girl underneath - and that was what it focused on.

He heard her running after him, even heard her yelling his name, but he kept walking for awhile, too angry to face the girl he had given his heart to.

"Laxus," This time the yell sounded weak and desperate, causing his heart to stop. Even now, after what he thought he knew, that sound made his heart clench.

He turned and leaned against the wall, waiting for her to catch up as he took in the outfit she was wearing. One of Gray's shirts - the purple one that Laxus had seen the Ice mage wear more than once - clunged to Lucy's body, buttoned haphazardly. Her short denim skirt and a pair of black flip flops that looked suspiciously like Natsu's completed the outfit and he growled in irritation, wondering why she was flaunting something that she had concealed from him for so long.

"What do_ you_ want?" He sneered, looking down at her.

She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him.

"Laxus, what's wrong?" She whispered, moving to lay her head on his chest.

He moved away in irritation.

"You really think that's going to work _now_?" He asked. "No way."

She dropped her arms to her side, "Will you talk to me?"

He snorted, "About what? About how I know? About how I see you clearly now? You really are easy, aren't you, Luce? I should have known you would be with the way you dress."

He said the words to protect himself, not thinking about the pain they were causing her until tears welled in her eyes. She turned her head, but he had seen them already and he hated himself for saying them and hated himself for feeling so wrong about saying them.

"You're wrong, Laxus Dreyer," She nearly shouted. "I love you."

"And how much does that love cost?" He demanded, turning and walking away, leaving her there with tears rolling down her face.

_I love you._

The words stuck with him long after he had reached his house, pushing Thor outside into the fenced in yard before throwing the first breakable object his hands landed on.

* * *

Lucy watched him go, tears rolling down her face uncontrollably. She had thought that those that had warned her about him were wrong. She had seen the side of him that he'd hidden from everyone else and she had thought it was real. Now, standing in the middle of the alley, she wondered how much of that was just an act to make her fall for him.

She stumbled into her apartment, hugging Plue close to her as she cried until she fell into an exhausted sleep.

_And the day had started so well_ was her last conscious thought.

* * *

Elsewhere in Magnolia, two boys walked side-by-side, unaware of the pain they had inadvertently caused, as they discussed what had happened at Lucy's, having stayed for awhile after she had slammed the door, listening to her muffled sobs until Natsu had roused himself and tugged Gray out the window.

* * *

**AN: So I hope none of you cried as hard as I did while writing this - I tend to get emotional when writing these scenes. Anyways, I hope you liked it - I won't say enjoyed it because it was too heartbreaking to enjoy! Also, I will be closing the poll either Wednesday or Saturday so go vote if you haven't because whichever man (or woman) wins will be Lucy's love interest in my next story!**


	32. Confrontation

Lucy woke up with a terrible ache behind her eyes and for a moment wondered why they felt so crusty, until last night's events came crashing down on her. Sniffing, she pushed the tears back as she climbed into her shower. She didn't understand what had happened last night between her and Laxus, she wasn't even really sure that she wanted to. For now she sat in her shower, allowing the warm water to rush over her, and cried some more.

She was surprised when she stepped out of her shower to find Levy sitting in her bedroom. Natsu and Gray, she was used to. Even Erza broke in from time to time, but not Levy. Levy was too shy for that sort of thing, but here she was, sitting on the floor of Lucy's bedroom, looking at her hands in discomfort.

"What's up, Levy?" Lucy asked softly as she dressed.

"Something happened last night, didn't it? After we left? Something between you and Laxus," The bluenette asked, her eyes still on the floor.

Lucy stiffened, "What makes you say that?"

"Laxus came in this morning, grabbed the first quest he saw, and handed it to Mira to be authorized. I heard Evergreen ask about you and Laxus say something about how you wouldn't be going on anymore quests with him. Not them, but _him_."

Lucy sighed, tears filling her eyes again as she sat down beside Levy.

"Lucy, you were so happy yesterday, and he seemed happy, too. What happened?" Levy asked gently, causing Lucy's tears to flow freely as she sobbed into her favorite girl friend's shoulder.

"I don't know," She finally managed. "We were doing so well, then he showed up last night and accused me of being easy and called me a bitch. Even now I don't understand what happened."

Levy wrapped her arms around her best friend as she called Mira, explaining what had happened to the take-over mage, who had originally overheard the whole conversation and asked Levy about it in confusion.

* * *

Laxus had entered the guild with only one thing on his mind - get as far away from Magnolia, and the woman who had broken his heart, as possible. Not to mention his house, which looked like as if a destructive force had blown through it and destroyed every single breakable object in it. He knew Mira would have questions when he got back. Thankfully he'd had enough sense to confide his anger to a few rooms and then block them off so that Thor wouldn't accidently wander into them.

He grabbed the first quest his hands touched and gathered up his team as he shoved the request at Mira. She raised an eyebrow, but kept her thoughts to herself. Evergreen spoke for the both of them.

"Where's Lucy?"

Laxus shot a death glare at her before remembering that no one yet knew what had transpired last night.

"Lucy's not going to be going on any more missions with me," He growled as they headed out the door.

The Thunder Legion all exchanged concerned looks before they rushed to catch up with their leader.

"Why not? The last one went really well - minus Lucy getting captured of course," Bickslow said, metaphorically putting his foot in his mouth.

"Precisely, we cannot have someone as weak as her in our group," Laxus snapped. "I will not allow it."

The group fell silent after that, afraid to make any more mention of the blonde that they had all grown to consider like family.

* * *

Mira tapped the lacrima in annoyance.

"Laxus, you have got to come home," She whined. "Lucy hasn't left her room since you left. Please, not even Natsu can get her to come out. We even threatened her with Erza and she still won't move. You need to talk to her."

"Why would I care?" Laxus sneered, though his heart constricted at the thought of his now ex-girlfriend crying all alone in her room.

"It's been two weeks, Laxus, come home and talk to her," Mira said. "Gramps is demanding that you take action."

Laxus sighed as he nodded, "Fine, but don't expect anything good to come of it."

Mira gave him a grateful smile as he shut off his lacrima. He sighed again, wondering what he was going to say to Lucy. He definitely didn't forgive her, in fact he was still angry about the whole thing, but if she was still locked up in her room like they said then obviously she either felt extremely guilty or she didn't see what she did as wrong. Either way he wanted to hear her reasoning.

"Pack up, guys, we're going home," He said, turning away from them.

He didn't miss the collective sigh of relief, though.

* * *

Lucy wasn't sure how long she had been like this. Longer than she had originally intended, she knew. Every time someone even mentioned her leaving her house, though, she moved herself further away from the door. The idea of going outside hurt, the idea of going to the guild hurt even more. She didn't want to see Laxus. She didn't even understand what had happened between them, only that Gray, Mira, and Loke were probably right. He'd gotten what he wanted from her and now he was done with her.

Loke and Virgo took turns coming to see her, though she didn't understand why. About the fifth time Loke forced his gate open she looked up at him with dull eyes.

"How long have I been like this?" She asked softly with the zombie look still in her eyes.

"Two weeks," Loke answered gently.

Lucy nodded, seemingly unsurprised as she stared out the window. Every day seemed to pass exactly the same, she ate, she drank, she used the facilities when needed and slept when needed, otherwise she stared out the window, only differing when tears spilled across her eyes and she had to take a moment to collect herself again.

Loke sat beside her this time, stroking her hair gently.

"We did warn you," He said, not unkindly. "We tried to tell you he would hurt you."

She nodded and wiped her eyes, "I love him, though. I still love him."

"I know, Princess, I know," He answered, pulling her close to him.

She cried into his shoulder again, "When am I going to quit hurting?"

"Probably not for a really long time," He answered truthfully. "Maybe not ever. The pain will fade though. Eventually you will continue on with your life just as it was before that bastard entered it and hurt you."

"I don't_ want_ it to be like before, I want him back," Lucy wailed.

Loke shook his head in dismay. He didn't understand why she would want someone who hurt her back. Of course, he never really did understand humans. A knock sounded on her door just then and Loke vanished with a 'you'll probably want to get that.'

Lucy sniffed and brushed her hair back from her face as she answered the door to find Laxus standing there, glaring down at her.

"Come in," She mumbled as she turned her back to him and moved to sit back on her bed.

* * *

Laxus stared at Lucy in dismay. Her hair was greasy and disheveled as if she hadn't showered in a while and her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from crying and lack of sleep. He wondered if maybe he had made a mistake that night, but then anger shot through him. Where did she get off making him feel so guilty, anyways? He followed behind her and noticed that her normal pile of laundry hadn't really grown since last time he was here. Hadn't she been at least showering and changing? The sink contained one glass and plate, but no other dirty dishes which could mean that she'd just washed the rest, but something told him that was unlikely, given the state of the rest of her apartment.

He cringed inwardly, feeling awful about the way he'd treated her.

"Lucy," He sat down in front of her on the bed. "Why aren't you eating?"

She looked up and guilt flashed through her eyes, "I'm just not hungry."

"When was your last meal?"

He watched her think about, fear rising in him when she shrugged.

"Last time Levy and Erza were over, I think. Or did Natsu give me food when he was over," She thought about it before shrugging again.

Worry creased his brow, "Luce, you have to eat."

She shrugged again and annoyance flared in him.

"Where do you get off being the one all hurt and shit?" He demanded. "You think I_ enjoyed_ saying those things? You think this is how I_ wanted_ it to go?"

She shrugged again, refusing to look at him.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly.

"Look at me, damn it," He growled.

She did and he inhaled sharply, that blank look she gave him was worse then the one she had given him earlier when she looked at him in sorrow. At least there was emotion then, now it seemed as if she was void of feeling.

* * *

Lucy didn't want to look at Laxus, she didn't even want him to be here talking to her. She just wanted him to go away so she could sit here in her apartment and stare at the outside world. A jolt of fear shot through her, however, when he shook her and she turned to stare at him on reflex.

The fear and anguish in his eyes surprised her. Why should he care what she was doing with herself? He was the one who had used her and then left, making it seem like it was her fault that they were breaking up in the first place, just because he didn't want to be with her anymore. So where did he get off worrying about her?

Anger shot through her then, surprising her. She hadn't felt anything but heartbreak since that night and the anger was a welcome change. She was angry with him for using her, for making her believe that he really cared about her and then dumping her, but she was angrier with herself for believing him and giving him the one thing he wanted.

"Why do you care?" She finally managed to spit out. "You used me and then left me like I was trash. All you care about is getting what you want and you got it. So if you don't mind, Get the hell out. I don't care what you want or what you're going to say because it's all just lies anyway."

Laxus looked at her in surprise, it had been a long while since he'd seen Lucy this angry and even longer still since she'd directed that anger at him.

"Lucy," He whispered, dropping his hands from her shoulders. "I just don't understand -"

"Well, neither do I," She interrupted. "Get out."

He sighed and stood, "Alright. I'm going to be at the guild for a bit if you need to talk. I just wanted to clear all of this up."

She shook her head, back to staring out the window.

"I don't care what you want anymore, Laxus Dreyer."

He turned, leaving her to cry once more.

* * *

Back at the guild he did something he never thought he would do - he sat down beside Natsu and Gray, glaring at the two.

"What'd you do to Lucy?" Natsu demanded before Laxus could get a word out.

"I broke up with her," He answered, irritated at the pair already.

"I told her that would happen," Gray sneered. "It's so typical of you."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have had to if you two had been a little more clever about leaving her house in the middle of the night. Next time you want to have a little rendezvous with your little play thing, try to be more discreet. Especially if she has a boyfriend."

They exchanged confused looks.

"What are you talking about?" Gray demanded.

"I saw you two that night, sneaking out of Lucy's window."

"We always do that," Natsu said, looking at Laxus incredulously. "Is_ that_ why you broke up with her? Because you saw us climbing out her window? Do you know how mad that makes her when we do that?"

"No kidding, every time she yells at us to use the door and we just don't. It's easier to go out the window," Gray scratched his head. "You should have confronted us first, it would have been a lot less messy. Really, Natsu might be stupid but he wouldn't cheat on Lisanna."

Laxus sighed, "No, I didn't think so, but what about you, Gray? You seem just as likely as the next guy to use a girl until he gets what he wants."

Gray laughed, "My interests lie elsewhere, believe me. Lucy's like a little sister."

His eyes wandered over to where Crime Sorciere had just walked in, following them as they headed toward Makarov's office. Understanding lit up in Laxus's eyes as he watched Gray eye Ultear.

"I have to go," He said, pushing away from the table.

_Lucy. I'm so sorry. I have so much to make up for and explain._

He sprinted toward her house, hoping he wasn't too late to win her heart once more.

* * *

**AN: Aww, I'm almost done! I hope you all are enjoying it so far. Thoughts about the ending - should Lucy give Laxus another chance or should she refuse and move on? ;) Let me know what you think! Also, side note: This is my longest chapter to date! YAY!**


	33. Lesson Learned

**AN: So many people want Laxus to suffer T.T sorry Lax, but the masses have spoken. Also, closing the poll tomorrow when I wake up, so make sure to vote asap if you haven't. Remember, the winner gets to be with Lucy ;) And currently we have a tie!**

* * *

Laxus raced up Lucy's steps, pounding on her door the moment he reached it.

"C'mon, C'mon, C'mon," He muttered as he banged on the door, impatient to talk to her once more.

She opened it with a sigh, then a glare when she saw it was him.

"What do_ you_ want?' She spat.

"Lucy, please, let me talk to you, I need to explain," He begged.

Her glare hardened, "If I recall I begged you to explain and you wouldn't. I'm done, Laxus, goodbye."

And with that she slammed the door in his face, leaving him gaping at it in dismay. Only now was he realizing just how much he might have screwed things up. He leaned his head against her door, sighing sadly. He had to find a way to get through to her. He just wasn't sure how.

* * *

Lucy leaned back against the door, tears streaking her face. Even now she could feel her love for him begging her to give him another chance. She was silently scolding herself for caring so much about him when she heard his sigh and her heart ached at how sad it sounded. For a couple of minutes she sat there in indecision before opening the door wide enough to peak her head out.

Laxus was slowly walking away, his shoulder slumped, void of their usual coat. She thought about calling out to him, but decided against it when she noticed his coat folded neatly at the front of her door. She didn't understand it's meaning, but she tugged it inside, wrapping herself in it the moment she closed the door.

Memories flooded her mind the moment she wrapped herself in it and she had to push the tears back once more. Perhaps she had been hasty in sending him away, but for the moment she felt she needed to allow her heart to heal a little more before she allowed him back inside it. She couldn't afford to go through this all over again, especially not in the state she was in now.

And for the first time since he had walked out she realized what a sorry state she was in.

_First things first_, she thought grimly. _I'm going to shower and get a hot meal. Then tomorrow I'm going to head to the guild. I have a lot of apologies to make._

* * *

Laxus folded up his coat and set it in front of her door, deciding that if it was still out there in the morning, he had no chance of ever winning her heart back, but if she had taken it in, then perhaps she still felt something for him. He'd heard the door open as he walked away, but was determined not to look back until he heard the door click shut again.

He whirled immediately when he heard the click and a grin broke through as he noticed the hallway was completely void of his signature coat. Maybe there was hope for him after all. He went back to his house, holding onto that thought while he worked on planning out the next phase in his plan to win Lucy back.

* * *

The guild went quiet the moment Lucy entered it and she couldn't help but wonder if they were staring at her because they were just talking about her, they were surprised by her return, or if they were surprised by her outfit.

Lucy had known his coat was a test the moment she'd picked it up, she wasn't sure what kind of test, but a test nonetheless. That hadn't stopped her, if he could test her then she was going to test him. She'd carefully considered her outfit today, digging through piles of clothes - after all the times they'd stayed over, every single person on her team had a few outfits they'd left behind.

Today she was going to test him to see if he would freak like he'd done last time. She'd put on a pair of Natsu's sandals, one of Erza's longer, black skirts, with the same purple shirt that she'd worn when Laxus broke up with her - Gray's button up shirt. To complete the outfit she'd worn Laxus's jacket over top the whole thing while pinning her hair up with one of Loke's many barrettes that he kept leaving her.

If Laxus wanted her back he was going to have to get used to the idea that she had team mates and sometimes those team mates stayed over and left their stuff behind. Her first obstacle, however, was going to have to be calming Juvia, who was turning into a puddle of tears at the sight of Lucy's outfit.

"Juvia, it's okay," She whispered, pulling the blunette close to her. "I promise you, this shirt is just to see Laxus's reaction. Gray did not give it to me and it has no sentimental value for me either."

Juvia sniffed, "Promise?"

Lucy solemnly nodded, looking up in time to see Laxus walk through the doors.

* * *

Laxus froze when he saw Lucy, his mind trying to make sense of her outfit because at first all he could focus on was the over-sized coat she had wrapped around her. Then she shifted and the coat fell a little, revealing the shirt that had make it impossible for him to believe anything she'd had to say that night two weeks ago. He studied her carefully, noting that nothing she wore was hers. Erza's skirt and those shoes were definitely a pair of Natsu's gladiator sandals.

He dismissed it all in a glance. Lucy wanted to test him, he was sure, and he was going to pass. He had to pass, because he didn't think he would be able to stand seeing her with anyone but him.

"Nice outfit, Blondie," He winked at her as he walked passed, causing her to glare at him before turning away.

* * *

Lucy groaned, she'd been so sure that Laxus would freak when he saw her outfit.

"That's good though, isn't it?" Levy asked, joining the table. "He passed."

"Yes, he passed," Lucy sighed. "But I'm not sure if I'm ready to forgive him, yet."

"Then don't," Mira replied, grinning evilly. "Make him suffer a little bit. After all the pain he put you through he deserves a little bit of punishment."

Lucy leaned forward, a matching smile breaking out on her face, "What did you have in mind, Mira?"

The take over mage leaned forward and began outlining her plan, beckoning the other girls to join her as she explained her idea. Each nodded in approval before scattering. Lucy, especially, seemed satisfied with the plan as she headed toward their unsuspecting victims.

* * *

Laxus watched the girls with suspicion that only grew when he watched his ex sashay her way over to him. She handed him his jacket, smiling sweetly.

"This, I believe, belongs to you," She said, plopping it into his lap.

He nodded, "I was hoping you would hold onto it for me."

She winked at him, "No need to hold onto such a silly thing when I have something much more suitable."

He looked at her in bewilderment as she turned and walked away, kicking off her sandals and handing them to Natsu before kissing him on the cheek.

"Next time, don't leave your sandals at my place, okay, Natsu?" She winked before walking away, leaving both dragon slayers gaping after her.

"Lisanna," Natsu turned to his girlfriend who was staring at him. "I don't - I -"

She pulled him away, presumably to yell at him, while Laxus watched dumbstruck as the girl of his dreams wandered around the guild, handing each male member - and some female ones - little tokens that may or may not have belonged to them. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to.

* * *

Lucy was having a ball. Mira, true to her word, had explained to as many people as possible what the plan was and they all acted their parts perfectly, winking at her whenever she kissed their cheek. The few that were confused Mira or another girl would pull aside and explain things to the moment she had moved onto the next victim.

Finally the only two left were Freed and Bickslow, causing her to inhale sharply. They were the closest to Laxus and were going to be the hardest to pull this off with, but she decided she must. Walking over to the bar for a moment she took the tokens that Cana and Juvia slipped secretly into her hands. She looked down, shoved Bickslow's in her pocket while holding onto Freed's.

"Freed," She called sweetly, approaching the green-haired man with a smile. "I think you left this behind."

She handed him the light pen that Cana had taken from his table and kissed his cheek, causing his face to blush. She was relieved to see his wink, knowing that he would be the hardest to convince, being as devoted to Laxus as he was. Mira must have promised him something special to convince him that this would work.

She turned to Bickslow, who was gaping at her, and smiled sweetly.

"Oh, yes, and I think I have something of yours as well," She teased, swinging her hips as she strolled past Laxus to where the Seith mage was sitting.

He looked at her with wide eyes as she handed him the only thing that Juvia had been able to grab - one of his shoulder pads.

"Next time, you might want to make sure you have all of your clothes," She teased, winking at him.

* * *

Laxus watched all of this with growing concern and alarm. Who was this girl that was sashaying around the guild, oozing sexual appeal? This was not the Lucy he'd known. His Lucy was sweet and innocent, and while she had her own sex appeal, it wasn't anything like this. For a moment he wondered if Mira had performed a take-over magic, but he discarded the idea when he saw the mage still standing behind the bar, grinning at him.

He connected it then, Lucy was playing him. Making him realize how ridiculous his accusations were. He felt relief flow through him, though he was still irritated when she turned to his own team. That, surprisingly, was when it started bothering him the most. He couldn't control his growl of irritation as she turned back to him.

"Well," She said softly. "Do you think you could really be with someone like me? Someone you would have to_ pay_?"

He was thankful she'd said it soft enough that most of the guild missed it, though none of them missed her turning on her heel and storming out.

"Laxus, you didn't," Evergreen whispered harshly, having been one of the few that had heard her words.

He sighed, "I was angry."

"Still, it was rude of you to imply such a thing. Especially of someone as sweet and innocent as Lucy," Freed replied, gravely.

Laxus nodded, watching her walk out of the guild, and realized that it was going to be even harder than he thought to win her trust and love back.

He stood, yelling to get everyone's attention. The guild quieted as every eye turned on him, some with curiosity, some with boredom, and a few with hostility.

"Help me win her back?" He pleaded.

Though that was all he said, that was enough. Everyone in the guild cheered.

"Not because you deserve it," A voice said from his left. "But because without you she's not whole. She hurts too much and it hurts us."

He turned to see Loke smiling at him.

"Thank you," He whispered, meaning it.


	34. An Apology

Laxus sat at the head of the strange mix of people, discussing the best way to win Lucy back. The more he talked to Lucy's friends and teammates the less he understood how Lucy could put up with their craziness. Every suggestion brought a new round of arguments from Natsu and Gray. While some of them were helpful, like when Erza had suggested making her strawberry cake and Natsu had agreed while Gray pointed out that Lucy wasn't particularly fond of it, most of their arguments made little or no sense.

He sighed, at this rate they were never going to devise a plan to get her back. His mind wandered while those around him made suggestions. After a few moments he stood and walked away from the table, heading for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Mira demanded.

"To see Thor, I think I have a plan," Laxus replied, sweeping out of the guild hall.

The others watched him go in confusion before Natsu asked the obvious question.

"Who's Thor?"

* * *

Lucy had changed as soon as she'd gotten home, slipping into a pink tube top and black skirt. She did, however, keep Laxus's coat wrapped around her. She told herself that it was because she was cold, but subconsciously she knew better. She had just settled in and started to read when a strange noise outside her door caused her to set her book down and head toward the door.

She heard it again upon reaching the door and identified it immediately as a dog's whine. Sighing, she opened her door, wondering if her neighbor's terrier had gotten loose again. Instead, Thor sat in front of her door, crying softly. As soon as he laid eyes on her, however, he stood, wagging his tail so hard that it became a blur of movement.

Lucy looked down the hall, but couldn't see Laxus anywhere. For a brief moment she wondered how his dog had gotten to her building, but then the poor soul whined again and shivered. Lucy turned her attention back to him and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind her.

"I don't have any dog food, I'm afraid," She said a few moments later as she dug through her fridge for something suitable for Thor to eat. "So lunch meat will have to do."

She fed the dog almost all of the lunch meat in her fridge before filling a bowl of water up for him, which he drank readily enough. She curled up with Thor after that, allowing the beast onto her bed, where she laid next to him, reading her novel. Thor settled contently next to her head and soon was snoring away.

Lucy smiled softly at the dog and determined that she would call Laxus in a bit to let him know that she had his dog, despite the fact that she would rather just keep Thor for herself. Before she could do anything, however, there was a pounding at her door that startled her, but which Thor slept right through.

* * *

Laxus stood at Lucy's door, knowing full well that she had Thor. He'd been the one to place Thor there, after all, and the dog had been content to stay once he caught a whiff of Lucy's scent. He almost smiled when she answered the door, thankful that she had changed from her crazy outfit from earlier.

"Lucy," He said, gravely. "Normally, I wouldn't bother you, but Thor's missing -"

Lucy cut him off, "Yeah, he's in here."

Laxus shot her a grateful look as she let him in.

"Thor, buddy," He called softly.

Thor opened one eye and lazily eyed his human before huffing a little and going back to sleep on Lucy's bed.

"Thor," Laxus said, sitting beside his dog. "C'mon, buddy, you know you want to come home."

He snorted, refusing to open his eyes and Lucy couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"Seems that I'm not the only one that's mad at you, Laxus," She teased, feeling a little bad for the man.

He sighed, "There seems to be a lot of that going around lately. I'm sorry, Lucy."

She shrugged, "I don't mind. Thor is a great dog."

Laxus nodded, "Yeah, he is, but I was actually referring to my behavior a couple weeks ago. I should never have accused you of the things I did. You're amazing, Luce, and my jealousy got the better of me. I'm sorry."

Lucy eyed him shrewdly for a moment before replying.

"You know that I'm not going to let you off the hook that easily, right?"

Laxus nodded, "I don't expect you to. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry and I plan on spending the rest of my life making it up to you."

* * *

Lucy watched in surprise as Thor jumped up and trotted to the door, Laxus following after him. She hadn't been expecting that kind of a reaction from the Dragon Slayer. She smiled softly as he closed the door behind him, turning once more to bestow a soft smile on her. She sat back down and pondered this new development, wondering if maybe she should just forgive him already or see what he was going to pull next.

Waiting won out in the end, though deep down Lucy was already starting to forgive the man for his actions. It was hard to stay mad at someone that you were also in love with.

Laxus walked home with Thor, practically skipping from the relief of the burden he'd been carrying with him. Lucy was going to forgive him, he was sure of that, he just had to think of ways to prove to her just how much she meant to him. As he neared his house an idea that he just couldn't shake loss planted itself in his brain and he grinned, knowing that Lucy would melt.

* * *

**AN: Sorry this one's so short. I'm actually pretty distracted today because there's a lot of things going on in my life right now, so bare with me. On another note: I wonder what Laxus could possibly have planned for Lucy! ;)**


	35. The Letter

Writing was not Laxus's strong suit. In fact, he hated it, but he was determined to make this the best love letter anyone had ever seen. His problem, however, was the fact that he was stuck at 'Dear Lucy'. What could he tell the blonde that she didn't already know? What could he possibly say to her that would make up for what he'd said before? Nothing, he was certain.

He crumpled up his fifth attempt and tossed it into the slowly growing pile of discards. At this rate he was never going to be able to finish the letter. He sighed and absentmindedly pat Thor's head while he stared at the fresh sheet of lined paper. He wasn't very good at romance, either, to be honest.

"Why don't you just write what comes to mind?" Mira asked from the doorway, carefully stepping around the pile of discarded paper.

He turned and looked at her.

"Why are you here?" He growled.

"You haven't been in for a while so I thought I would check on Thor and make sure I didn't need to feed him or anything."

The dog thumped his tail happily at the mention of his name. She scratched his ears as she tried to peer over Laxus's shoulder.

"What are you writing anyway?" She asked.

Laxus sighed, "If I tell you will you leave?"

She nodded eagerly.

"I'm writing Lucy a love letter," He said. "Only it doesn't seem to be going very well."

He growled and wadded this sheet up as well, throwing it in the pile.

"Why don't you just write how you feel?" Mira suggested.

"I can't."

Mira sighed and sat down beside him.

"Why don't we do it this way - you tell me how you feel about her and I'll tell you how to write it."

Laxus looked at her in surprise, "You would do that?"

"For Lucy? Yes. She doesn't realize it but she needs you," Mira poked him. "Now, tell me how you feel about our favorite blonde."

"She's like the sun in that my whole world revolves around her, but she's like the moon as well because when I'm with her I feel like I'm the sea going a little crazy. And her smile is like the stars, bright and beautiful. I would give anything to see that smile again. She's so kind and naïve that it's disturbing but sweet at the same time. Her face gets puffy when she's mad, which is really cute rather than intimidating, but when she's really angry she's scary. Hot, but scary. She's smart, which is sexy, but a little intimidating since I'm not nearly that smart. She makes me crazy, Mira, but I don't ever want to not be crazy if it means not having her at my side," Laxus finished with a sigh.

Mira sat still for a moment, blinking in surprise, before replying.

"Well, why don't you just write that?"

"I can't put that down on paper," Laxus protested. "What if she hates it?"

Mira shook her head, "No, she won't hate it. It's beautiful, Laxus."

The lightening dragon slayer sighed but started to write once more.

* * *

Lucy sat down in her favorite barstool smiling at Mira.

"You're usual?" Mira asked, winking.

Lucy nodded, and while Mira was making her shake she looked around the guild, secretly trying to spot a certain blonde dragon slayer.

"He's not here," Mira said, setting down the shake.

"Who's not here?" Lucy asked, though she knew perfectly well that Mira knew exactly who she was looking for.

"You know who," Mira teased. "But he did ask me to give you this and to tell you that if you want to see him he's going to be at his house all day. He has to do some cleaning."

Lucy nodded, wondering what cleaning he needed to do, but not daring to ask. Instead she slowly opened up the envelope that Mira had slid across from her and began to read.

_Dear Lucy,_

_I'm not good with words, but by now you know that. Mira suggested that if I wanted to write you a love letter then the best thing to do would be to write down how I feel, but we both know I'm not very good with the romance thing, so here goes nothing._

_When I look at you it's like the world falls away and all that is in the world is me and you and you're the sun, burning so bright, and I'm the Earth revolving around you. At the same time it feels as if you're my moon because when you go out of orbit my whole life goes a little crazy like the sea._

_You're smile is as bright as the stars and you're tears are like a hurricane in my heart. You're so smart it's a little scary and when you're angry and you think you're being intimidating it's really just cute._

_However, when you get really pissed, you're hot, but it's a scary hot. Sorry, but it's true. When you're gone I panic a little and I drive my team crazy with how annoyed I am without you. You make me crazy, but without you I might as well not even exist._

_Well, that's what I had to say._

_Laxus_

Lucy stared at the letter for a long time before looking up at Mira, who was watching her intently. She hadn't read the letter, but, judging by Lucy's face, she wished she had.

"I gotta go," Lucy said hurriedly. "I'll see you later, Mira."

Mira smiled and waved, "Go. Make sure to fill me in on all the juicy bits later."

Lucy laughed and ran out of the guild, heading straight for Laxus's house. Maybe it was time to forgive the big idiot.

* * *

Laxus had cleaned his house twice today and never before had it seemed so sparkly. Thor kept wandering from room to room, trying to find some resemblance to his old him, but was unable to. Finally he ducked out the back, wagging his tail happily when he saw that his yard was unchanged.

Laxus was finishing up cleaning the kitchen when he heard the footsteps behind him. He didn't think it would be Lucy, not yet anyway, so that left Evergreen or Mira since the tread was too light to belong to either Bickslow or Freed. He continued scrubbing his cupboards, waiting for the girl to speak when he caught a whiff of the smell that was distinctly Lucy's and he inhaled sharply, panicking inside.

Was he ready for this? He wasn't sure if he could handle it if she rejected him. Sighing heavily he stepped off the stool he'd been standing on and turned to face her.

"Hey, Luce," He said quietly, leaning against the counter.

"Did you really write this?" She demanded, holding up his letter.

He winced, "Yeah, that bad, huh?"

He was surprised to feel her arms around him moments later.

"It was beautiful," She whispered, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

Laxus's heart soared.

"But, you're on probation," She warned. "I'm not going through that again, got it? So you better behave."

Laxus nodded, happy that she was giving him one more chance. She didn't have to believe that he was going to make it, she just had to give him a chance to prove that he loved her beyond a shadow of a doubt.


	36. A Proposal

Laxus sat beside Lucy, nervously fidgeting as she talked to her friends. They'd gotten back together almost a year ago. A year of extensive hand-to-hand combat training, of yelling at Natsu and Gray about boundaries and privacy, of proving to Lucy in difference ways all that he loved about her. Two months ago, she'd moved in with him, much to the dismay their teams who had to help her move. Last week he'd bought the ring that sat in his pocket.

Mira, Gramps, and Natsu were the only three who knew what he was planning on doing. Mira had helped him plan everything out to perfection and, of course, Gramps had to know that his only grandson was planning on finally settling down and marrying the girl he loved. Laxus still wasn't sure how Natsu had figured into it, but somehow he'd ended up asking the pinkette for his permission. He still wasn't sure how Mira had convinced him to ask Natsu, of all people, but he remembered it went something along the lines of Natsu being the one who had brought Lucy into the guild, so along with being her best friend, he was like her guild parents. Or something along those lines anyways.

He tapped his foot impatiently, wanting to be out of there and on the way to their dinner reservations. He knew better than to rush Lucy, though. The girl had a great sense of time and no matter how impatient Laxus was or how worried he got, she always seemed to know exactly when to cut a conversation off so they could arrive at their destination on time. Natsu wasn't helping the situation either, when every few minutes he would give Laxus a giant grin. He was just about ready to remind Lucy of the time when he realized that she was saying her goodbyes to everyone. He sighed in relief, thankful that they would finally be underway.

* * *

Lucy knew that something was going on, she just wasn't sure what. She hadn't missed the smile that Natsu kept giving her boyfriend, nor did she miss how Laxus seemed to look at his watch every few minutes as if he was worried they were going to be late. She smiled, shaking her head at his impatience as they hurried toward the restaurant he had reservations for.

"Umm, Laxus," She whispered, as they approached the darkened building. "I think they're closed."

He grinned, "Yeah, so?"

She looked at him in confusion.

"Isn't this where we're eating?"

He nodded, still grinning, "Yeah. C'mon."

He pulled around the building, knocking on the employee's entrance. A small man peered out them and Lucy was surprised to recognize him as Yajima, one of Master's oldest and closest friends. He pulled them in quickly before shutting the door and turning on them.

"You got two hours," He pointed at the two of them. "Then I have to open the place."

Without another word he set them at a table and set their plates in front of them.

"I expect that you know where the dessert is?" He asked, looking at Laxus.

The tall blonde nodded, his face a mask of indifference.

"Good, I expect that when I get back you two will be gone," He announced before leaving them alone.

Lucy looked around in surprise, "Laxus -"

He held up his hand, "No questions, eat and enjoy, it took a lot of convincing and let's just leave it at that."

Lucy grinned, "This is amazing."

* * *

Laxus watched her anxiously as they ate. His nerves making it hard for him to even pay attention to the amazing meal that Yajima had cooked for them. He whisked their plates away as soon as Lucy finished eating, bringing out her favorite dessert - strawberry cake with chocolate frosting topped with vanilla ice cream. Before he brought it into her line of sight he slipped the ring out of his pocket, setting it firmly into the cake so that she would notice it right away.

"I think you're spoiling me tonight, Laxus Dreyer," She teased as he brought the cake to her.

He grinned and set it there, kneeling beside her as soon as he heard the gasp that issued from her mouth.

"Lucy Heartfilia," He stated, taking her hand in his own. "Don't you dare interrupt me because it took me a long time to work up the courage to say what I'm about to."

She nodded, keeping silent.

"I've loved you for a long time, longer than we've been together even and though our start was a little strange, I think it fits us. You complete me and I love you more than anything. I know it's a tough task, but I think you're up for it, so will you marry me?"

He looked up at her with anxious eyes.

"Of course, I'll marry you," She said, bending over to kiss him before cleaning the ring and slipping it onto her finger.

* * *

Lucy stared at the ring in shock. It was white gold inlaid with onyx and sapphire stones that wrapped around the diamond in the center. She had no idea how much it was worth and she really didn't want to know how much Laxus had spent on it. She barely registered what it was for until he started speaking.

Her heart raced for a moment before she realized that he really was asking her to marry him. How could she say no to that? She readily agreed before blushing and looking back at him.

He laughed, "Yes, you can eat your cake."

She grinned, it just went to show how well he knew her, after all.

* * *

**AN: OMG I'm almost done! *tears* I can't believe it! Thinking about writing an epilogue - let me know what you think! If not then the story is complete. :) so it's up to you guys once more.**


	37. Epilogue

Lucy sighed as she put her earrings in, looking up as two small children came careening into the room, the girl had cake smeared on her face and in her hair while the boy was racing after her, holding his own little piece of cake. Both had blonde hair, but while the boy's stuck up wildly in every direction the little girl's was smooth and straight. They both also inherited Laxus's storm blue eyes, though in appearance the little girl looked almost identical to her mother while the little boy resembled his father.

"Mommy, mommy, Lula tried to eat the cake," The little boy cried while the little girl gave him a scowl reminiscent of her father's scowl.

Lucy sighed once more, thankful she hadn't dressed yet as she picked up the two children, scooping one in each arm.

"Lula, did you try to eat the cake?" She asked the girl,

She shook her head, "No."

"Did, too."

"You tried eating it, too, Lashie," Lula announce angrily as she was set in the bathtub.

"Momma, he did," She whined as her brother was plopped in next to her.

Lucy smiled at the two, "I'm sure you both thought eating the cake sounded wonderful. I think you're Aunt Erza has been teaching you bad habits."

The two pouted as their mother scrubbed their hair and arms, thankful that she hadn't dressed them yet eith3er.

"Now, can you two behave while mommy finishes dressing or should we have daddy come in and watch you two," She threatened.

"We'll behave mommy, but why do we have to get all dressed up for?" Lula asked, watching as her mother slipped on a bright yellow dress that shimmered.

Secretly, Lula hoped she was as pretty as her mom one day. She idolized Lucy and was delighted whenever she was allowed to handle the keys that her mother carried, ones that unlocked a world in which people popped out and played with her.

Lashie - which was Lula speak for Laxus, Jr. - adored his father, and hoped that when he grew into his magic it was as cool as his father's.

Lucy smiled at the twins as she turned to dress them.

"Because your Aunt Levy and Uncle Gajeel are finally getting married," She teased, causing them to cheer.

They adored their Aunt Levy, who always had stories to tell them. Uncle Gajeel still scared them a little, but they knew he was really a big softie under his scowls and angry demeanor.

Lucy grinned as she dressed them, recalling her own wedding day. She had been so nervous that something would go wrong after all the planning the girls had put into it. Levy, Erza, Evergreen, and Juvia were beautiful in their dresses of sky blue that fell to each girl's knees.

Down the hall the groomsmen - Freed, Natsu, Bickslow, and Gray - waited impatiently and Lucy didn't even want to think of how impatient Laxus was. She had grinned as she watched the pairs walk down the aisle. It had taken a lot of arguing to convince Evergreen and Bickslow to walk together, but finally they relented when they realized that Juvia would not give up walking with Gray for the world and Erza was the only one who could keep Natsu in line. Obviously, Freed and Levy would have to walk together, being the best man and maid of honor.

Finally it was Lucy's turn. Her dress swirled around her in giant layers of lace and silk adorned with blue sapphires that trailed from the top right of her dress to the bottom left of her waist, creating little stars that Virgo had spent hours creating. She smiled at Makarov, who walked her down the aisle in place of the father that had died before he could see his daughter wed.

Laxus had stood at the head of the alter, dressed in a white tux that looked amazing on him. He had watched her with an intensity that she had come to realize was his nerves. She shot him a brilliant smile in hopes that it would calm him and it had seemed to do the trick, he smiled back.

"Momma," Lula's voice dragged her out of her thoughts as the four year old stared at her mother in concern.

Lucy smiled down at her, finishing the braid she was putting in her hair.

"Yes dear?"

"Am I going to get married?"

Lucy grinned as she lifted the little girl in her arms, Laxus Jr. following behind them as they headed outside where Laxus waited.

"One day, you might."

She grinned, "I want to married Nashie then."

Lucy's heart clenched. Nashie was Lisanna and Natsu's oldest son, two years older than the twins and just as carefree and destructive as his father, complete with pink hair to match.

"Well, maybe one day," She replied.

Laxus looked up as he picked up his son.

"No way is my little girl marrying that idiot's son," He growled.

Lucy gave him a stern look over the twins' heads.

"Lula can marry whomever she wants Laxus, just as I did."

Laxus smiled, kissing her on the forehead, "For which we are all grateful."

The twins cheered in agreement, causing their mother to smile down at them once more, her heart melting at the sight of her family.

Lucy couldn't have asked for a happier ending.


	38. A Little Note

Hey guys. I entered this in a contest on Inkitt. If you would go vote for it I would appreciate it greatly :)

Thanks lovelies.


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